THE    DEVELOPMENT 
OF    PRINTING    AS    AN    ART 

A  HANDBOOK 
OF  THE   EXHIBITION  IN   HONOR  OF 
THE   BI-CENTENARY  OF  FRANK- 
LIN'S BIRTH  HELD  AT  THE 
BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
UNDER  THE  AUSPICES 
OF  THE  SOCIETY 
OF  PRINTERS 


PUBLICATIONS   OF   THE   SOCIETY,   NUMBER    U 

BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

JANUARY  1  TO  29,  1906 


LECTURES    ON    PRINTING 

'o  he  given  in  the  Lecture  H^ll  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  {Boylston 
Street  Entrance)  on  Thursday  e'vertingSy  at  eight  o'clock 


January  4 
What  Constitutes  Style  in  Printing 

By  C.  HOWARD   WALKER 

January  11 
Benjamin  Franklin:  the  Printer 

By  LINDSAY    SWIFT 

February  i 
Illumination  and  its  Relation  to  Book  Decoration 

By  WILLIAM    DANA   ORCUTT 

March  I 
Influences  for  the  Advancement  of  Printing 

By  henry    turner    BAILEY 

April  5 
Decorative  Printing 

By  henry  lewis  JOHNSON 


THE    DEVELOPMENT 
OF    PRINTING    AS    AN    ART 


iiS-/"? 


JOHN  HENRY  NASH 


THE    DEVELOPMENT 
OF    PRINTING    AS    AN    ART 

A  HANDBOOK 
OF  THE  EXHIBITION   IN   HONOR  OF 
THE   BI-CENTENARY   OF   FRANK- 
LIN'S BIRTH  HELD  AT  THE 
BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
UNDER  THE  AUSPICES 
OF  THE  SOCIETY 
OF  PRINTERS 


31 


PUBLICATIONS    OF   THE   SOCIETY,   NUMBER    II 

BOSTON,   MASSACHUSETTS 

JANUARY  1   TO  29,  1906 


Copyrighty  igo6 
By  The  Society  of  Printers 


THE   SOCIETY  OF    PRINTERS 

FOR   THE   STUDY   AND   ADVANCEMENT   OF 
THE   ART   OF    PRINTING 

OFFICERS   AND    COUNCIL 

PRESIDENT 
WILLIAM    DANA    ORCUTT 

VICE-PRESIDENT 
BRUCE    ROGERS 

SECRETARY 
HENRY    LEWIS   JOHNSON 

TREASURER 

J.    ALBERT    BRIGGS 

HENRY    TURNER   BAILEY  GEORGE   FRENCH  D.  B.  UPDIKE 

C.   H.    HEINTZEMANN  C.    HOWARD   WALKER 

EXHIBITION   COMMITTEES 
Manuscripts  and  Incunabula 

WILLIAM    DANA    ORCUTT  LINDSAY    SWIFT  WINTHROP    AMES 

Modem  Books 

BRUCE    ROGERS  D.   B.    UPDIKE 

Commercial  Printing 

HENRY    LEWIS   JOHNSON  J.   ALBERT   BRIGGS 

Processes  in  Illustration 

ARTHUR    ALLEN  T.    B.    HAPGOOD,    JR.  SIDNEY    A.    KIMBER 

Paper 

JOHN    ALDEN    LEE  ROGER    DAY   SMITH 

Hand-Book  and  Labels 

EDWIN    T.    STIGER  ALLEN    M.    SUMNER 

Descriptive  Lectures 

WILLIAM    DANA    ORCUTT  F.    A.    WHITING 

HENRY    TURNER    BAILEY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/developmentofpriOOsocirich 


THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 
PRINTING   AS    AN    ART 

This  Exhibition  is  made  by  the  Society  of  Printers, 
Boston,  in  connection  with  the  celebration  of  the 
two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Benjamin 
Franklin.  It  is  planned  on  lines  differing  from  any 
which  has  been  held  heretofore.  There  have  been  in- 
teresting and  important  exhibitions  of  books  and  book- 
bindings under  the  auspices  of  various  clubs  and  literary 
organizations,  and  general  displays  of  contemporaneous 
work  at  the  Columbian,  Pan-American,  and  Louisiana 
Purchase  Expositions.  The  present  active  interest  in 
printing  is  such  that  this  exhibition,  arranged  upon 
definite  and  comprehensive  lines,  has  been  determined 
upon.  The  general  purpose  is  to  arrange  exhibits  in 
definite  sequence,  beginning  with  manuscripts  and  in- 
cunabula, showing  the  evolution  from  the  written  to  the 
printed  book,  together  with  a  few  examples  of  printing 
representative  of  the  centuries  which  followed,  illus- 
trating the  development  in  types,  format,  and  other 
features. 

This  leads  naturally  to  a  carefully  chosen  display  in 
modern  printing,  and  progressive  processes  showing 
how  illustrations  and  paper  are  made.  These  are 
displayed  in  proper  sequence,  carefully  numbered  and 
labelled,  so  that  the  visitor  can  understand  and  follow 
the  meaning  of  each  example. 

The  interest  and  educational  value  of  the  exhibits 
will  be  greatly  strengthened  by  following  them  with 
this  Handbook,  which  contains  a  running  synopsis, 
showing  the  bearing  which  each  exhibit  has  upon  the 
Development  of  Printing  as  an  Art. 


Dept.  A,  No.  x]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

THE   MAKING   OF   EARLY   BOOKS 

Xhe  MSS.  and  early  printed  books  exhibited  are  not 
intended  to  comprise  a  representative  collection  of  the 
work  of  the  old-time  scribes  and  master  printers,  but 
rather  to  show  the  influence  which  the  making  of  books 
during  these  periods  has  exerted  upon  modern  book- 
making.  It  is  a  common  impression  that  the  Art  of 
Printing  dates  from  Gutenberg,  and  that  it  sprang 
"fully  armed,  like  Minerva,  from  the  brow  of  Jove." 
In  reality  the  printed  book  was  an  evolution  from  the 
written  book,  and  for  that  reason  one  should  begin  by 
studying  the  conditions  and  tendencies  of  the  century 
which  preceded  Gutenberg  in  order  to  understand  what 
influences  necessitated  Gutenberg's  practical  application 
of  the  marvellous  latent  power  of  movable  types,  which 
the  Greeks  and  the  Romans,  the  Chinese  and  the 
Koreans,  had  failed  to  appreciate. 
The  examples  of  German  printing,  which  are  the 
earliest  known,  were  immediately  surpassed  in  excel- 
lence by  the  work  executed  in  Italy,  then  the  home 
of  scholarship,  whither  the  German  printers  naturally 
carried  it.  It  is  Italy,  therefore,  which  exerted  the  first 
great  influence  in  the  Development  of  Printing  as  an 
Art,  and  the  exhibition  begins  with  books  produced  in 
this  country. 

THE   WRITTEN   BOOK 

Department  A,  No.  i,  is  a  small  Book  of  Hours, 
hand-written  upon  uterine  parchment  (the  skin  of  still- 
born kids),  by  a  Humanistic  scribe.  Its  school  repre- 
sents the  highest  point  of  perfection  ever  reached  in 
hand-lettering.  Its  date  is  about  1485,  —  after  the  date 
of  the  invention  of  printing. 

One  would  naturally  suppose  that  the  art  of  hand- 
lettering  would  decline  upon  the  introduction  of  the 


PRINTING    A6    AN    ART  [Dept.  A,  No.  » 

new  art,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  illumination  and  hand- 
lettering  received  a  tremendous  impetus  from  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  wealthy  patrons  of  MS.  books  to  the  new 
discovery.  Until  Gutenberg,  the  possession  of  libraries 
was  confined  to  the  rich,  and  to  their  minds  to  have 
books  become  common  meant  the  degradation  of  book- 
making  and  danger  to  the  State :  degrading  because 
these  wealthy  patrons  were  true  lovers  of  literature  and 
regarded  the  gems  of  thought  as  the  most  precious  of 
all  gems,  and  far  too  precious  to  be  put  before  the  world 
in  a  cheapened  form ;  dangerous  because  they  foresaw 
that  the  printed  book  would  place  science  and  literature 
in  the  hands  of  the  masses,  that  it  would  make  men 
think  and  argue  and  gain  self-reliance  from  their  new 
intellectual  development. 

The  opposition  of  these  wealthy  patrons  took  the 
form  of  an  increased  encouragement  of  the  scribes  and 
illuminators.  The  great  Humanistic  movement  which 
had  swept  over  the  world,  preparing  it  for  the  Renais- 
sance which  was  to  follow,  released  the  Classics  from 
the  ban  which  the  Church  had  placed  upon  them.  Until 
then  libraries  were  made  up  chiefly  of  religious  books. 
The  patrons,  therefore,  at  the  time  of  Gutenberg's  dis- 
covery, encouraged  the  scribes  and  illuminators  by 
ordering  written  copies  of  the  Classics  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  hand-lettering,  as  an  art,  reached  its  highest 
point  of  perfection. 

Dept.  A,  No.  2,  is  a  reproduction  of  an  illuminated 
Italian  manuscript  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  text 
is  the  Humanistic  hand-lettering,  the  same  school  as  is 
shown  in  Dept.  A,  No.  i,  though  by  a  different  hand; 
and  the  ornamentation  is  of  the  highest  class.  The 
most  characteristic  feature  is  the  interlaced  white-vined 
tendril  design,  standing  out  in  seeming  relief  upon  a 
ground  of  blue,  green,  and  pink,  this  style  being,  in  a 
measure,  a  revival  of  that  of  the  twelfth  century.  Note 
the  introduction  of  the  coat-of-arms  and  figures  of  birds. 

3 


Dkpt.  a,  No.  3]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

The  multitude  of  small-rayed  golden  discs  is  said  to 
have  been  a  favorite  design  of  Lorenzo  de  Medici, 
whose  patronage  of  art  and  letters  at  this  period  was 
munificent. 

Dept.  A,  No.  3,  is  a  Latin  Choir  Book  of  the  same 
period.  Here  the  illumination  is  in  pen  and  ink.  The 
solids  are  painted  in.  The  red  ink  is  made  of  minium 
and  the  blue  of  crushed  lapis-lazuli  stone.  The  style 
of  lettering  is  Gothic.  From  this  style  have  been  cut 
the  best  Gothic  type-faces  of  to-day. 

^he  Written  Book  —  Summary  of  Exhibits 

No.  I.  Book  of  Hours,  in  Humanistic  hand- 
lettering.    Date,  about  1485. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  2.  St.  Augustine, "de  Civitate  Dei."  Repro- 
duction of  an  illuminated  Italian  MS.  of  the  XV 
century.  Illuminator  and  scribe  unknown.  Date, 
1484. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  3.  Latin  Choir  Book,  in  Gothic  hand- 
lettering,  illuminated  in  blue  and  red.  Date, 
about  1480. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library  {Norton  Collection), 

THE   SUPREMACY   OF  ITALY,    1470-1530 

When  the  wealthy  patrons  found  that  they  could  not 
suppress  the  new  invention  of  printing,  they  endeavored 
to  effect  a  compromise.  They  arranged  with  the  printer 
to  leave  a  large  square  blank  for  the  initial,  and  wide 
margins,  so  that  the  illuminator  could  decorate  the 
page  with  gorgeous  ornamentation.  An  example  of 
this  is  shown  in 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dept.  A,  Nos.  4-6 

Dept.  A,  No.  4.  This  shows  a  reproduction  of  a 
page  of  an  early  printed  book  in  which  the  wealthy 
patron  (in  this  case  Ludovico  Sforza  il  Moro)  sought  to 
overwhelm  the  printed  page  by  the  magnificence  of  the 
illuminator's  art.  The  volume  from  which  this  is  taken 
was  printed  in  Milan  in  1490  by  Antonio  Zarotto, 
of  Parma.  The  name  of  the  illuminator  is  unknown, 
but  he  must  have  been  one  of  the  best  of  the  Milanese 
school. 

The  work  of  the  early  Italian  printers  shows  that  in 
cutting  their  types  they  adopted  the  restored  book- 
hand,  imitated  from  the  MSS.  of  the  time  of  Charle- 
magne, which  had  come  into  use  in  Italy  at  the  end 
of  the  previous  century.  But  it  was  in  Venice,  whither 
Nicolas  Jenson  came  from  France  about  1470,  that  this 
Roman  type  attained  its  greatest  beauty.  An  example 
of  this  is  shown  in 

Dept.  A,  No.  5,  which  is  one  of  the  earliest  books 
Jenson  printed  (1470).  The  design  and  cut  of  the 
letters,  and  the  paper,  which  is  almost  vellum,  combine 
to  produce  a  superb  volume.  The  presswork  does  not 
run  as  evenly  as  in  the  next  exhibit. 

Jenson's  Gothic  type,  which  also  became  famous,  is 
shown  in 

Dept.  A,  No.  6.  This  volume  was  printed  in  1475. 
It  shows  careful  typography,  excellent  presswork,  and 
ink  and  paper  which  have  successfully  stood  the  test  of 
over  four  centuries. 

Aldus  Manutius,  whose  name  is  perhaps  best  known 
after  that  of  Gutenberg,  established  a  press  in  Venice  in 
1490.  He  cut  no  less  than  nine  varieties  of  Greek  type 
and  fourteen  of  Roman  letters.  He  designed  the  first 
font  of  Italic  (so  named  because  originated  in  Italy), 
said  to  be  based  upon  Petrarch's  pecuHar  form  of  hand- 
writing. He  was  an  ardent  Humanist,  and  he  wished 

5 


Dkpt.  A,  Nos.  7-8]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

to  make  his  books  accessible  to  the  people.  To  accom- 
plish this  he  issued  a  pocket  series  of  Greek,  Latin, 
and  Italian  classics,  beautifully  made,  which  sold  at  the 
equivalent  of  fifty  cents  each.  He  was  among  the  first 
to  print  on  parchment,  and  did  much  to  improve  the 
quality  of  paper. 

Dept.  A,  No.  7,  shows  perhaps  the  most  famous 
book  which  issued  from  Aldus'  press.  It  was  printed 
in  1499,  in  his  most  beautiful  Roman  font,  the  typog- 
raphy and  presswork,  combining  woodcuts  and  letter- 
press, being  particularly  noteworthy.  The  ending  of 
the  chapter,  approaching  the  half-diamond  formation, 
the  spacing  of  the  capital  letters  below,  the  initial  letter 
and  the  first  line  in  capitals,  on  the  left-hand  page  shown, 
evince  great  thought  and  care  in  the  composition. 

Dept.  A,  No.  8,  is  another  production  of  the  Aldine 
Press  in  the  same  year,  1499.  Note  the  blank  space  left 
for  the  illuminator.  There  are  no  regular  folios,  but  at 
the  foot  of  the  last  page  of  each  signature  is  a  catch- 
word, or  richiamoy  for  the  guidance  of  the  binder,  in 
this  case"IVLII." 

^he  Supremacy  of  Italy y  i^yo-i^jo  —  Summary  of 
Exhibits 

No.  4.  La  Historia  delle  cove  facte  dallo  in- 
victissimo  Duca  Francesco  Sforza.  Printed  by 
Antonio  Zarotto,  of  Parma,  in  Milan  in  1490. 
Illuminator  unknown.  Reproduction  of  a  page 
showing  effort  to  overshadow  the  printing  by  the 
illumination. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  5.  Eusebius  Pamphili  de  evangelica.  Printed 
by  Nicolas  Jenson  in  Venice  in  1470,  showing 
the  best  Roman  face  of  the  period. 

Lent  by  William  G.  Shillaber^  Esq, 

6 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dkpt.  A,  Nos.  9-10 

No.  6.  Augustinus  Aurel.  de  Civitate  Dei. 
Printed  by  Nicolas  Jenson  in  Venice,  in  1475, 
showing  one  of  the  best  Gothic  types  of  the 
period. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  7.  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili.  Printed  by 
Aldus  Manutius  in  Venice  in  1499.  The  most 
famous  of  Venetian  illustrated  books. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library  {Norton  Collection). 

No.  8.  Julius  Firmicus  Maternus.  Printed  by 
Aldus  Manutius  in  Venice  in  1499.  Shows  his 
best  Roman  face. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library  {Norton  Collection). 

THE   SUPREMACY   OF   FRANCE,  1 530-1 570 

To  understand  the  direction  given  to  the  press  in 
France  at  this  period,  we  must  remember  that  two 
principal  influences  operated  upon  it  simultaneously, 
but  not  in  the  same  way.  These  two  influences  were 
identical  with  those  which  gave  Italy  her  earlier  pre- 
eminence which  had  passed  from  her  to  France  with 
the  death  or  downfall  of  her  noble  patrons :  namely, 
the  demand  of  the  public  and  the  patronage  of  the 
Court.  Francis  I.  of  France  successfully  exerted  his 
patronage  to  develop  the  material  beauty  and  splendor 
of  books.  Grolier  was  encouraged  to  bind,  and  Robert 
Stephens  (or  Estienne)  to  print.  A  magnificent  Greek 
type  was  cast  at  the  cost  of  the  royal  treasury.  When 
a  sumptuary  law  prohibited  gilding  in  houses  and  fur- 
niture, book-binding  was  by  a  special  clause  exempted 
from  its  operation.  All  that  promoted  that  exterior 
luxe  which  the  French  "  Librairie  "  has  always  courted, 
—  the  expanse  of  margin,  the  thick  wove  paper,  and 
brilliant  types,  — that  was  the  idea  which  the  master  of 

7 


Dept.  A,  Nos.  9-IO]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Rosso  and  Cellini  formed  of  his  patronate  of  letters. 
The  magnificence  of  the  Revival  has  left  its  mark  be- 
hind it  in  the  Greek  editions  which  issued  from  the 
press  of  Robert  Stephens,  "  printer  to  the  king." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  spirit  of  curiosity,  which  had 
arisen  among  the  public,  made  far  other  demands  upon 
the  press.  It  wanted  to  learn.  It  desired  books  not  to 
place  in  a  cabinet,  but  to  read,  in  order  to  know.  As 
in  Italy,  it  wanted  to  know,  first  and  foremost,  the  truth 
in  the  matter  of  religion  ;  next,  to  know  the  cause  and 
remedies  of  moral  and  material  evils,  by  which  the 
people  felt  themselves  crushed.  But  .the  press  as  the 
medium  of  knowledge  was  not  the  press  which  the  gov- 
ernment of  Francis  I.  would  encourage.  This  is  why 
some  historians  invoke  this  monarch  as  the  Father  of 
Letters,  the  Maecenas  of  the  Arts,  while  others  brand 
him  as  a  bigot  and  a  persecutor.  The  truth  is  that  Francis 
I.  was  both  these  at  once.  Emulous  of  the  credit  which 
the  Italian  princes  had  acquired  by  their  patronage  of 
art,  he  munificently  encouraged  letters  and  learned  men. 
He  would  have  his  own  printer  and  his  own  type,  which 
should  give  editions  that  would  eclipse  anything  that 
had  been  done  in  Italy.  Yet  he  would  annihilate  the 
art  of  printing  sooner  than  allow  it  to  become  a  vehicle 
of  opinion.  Hence  the  senseless  edict  of  13  January, 
1534,  by  which  the  Protector  of  Letters  forbade  any 
printer  to  print  anything  whatever  without  the  royal 
license,  under  pain  of  death. 

In  1526  Robert  Stephens  came  into  possession  of  the 
printing  establishment  founded  by  his  father  in  Paris. 
Between  that  date  and  1559,  when  he  died,  not  a  year 
elapsed  in  which  he  did  not  turn  out  several  volumes, 
some  of  them  treasures  of  art,  all  of  them  far  surpassing 
anything  that  had  been  before  seen  in  France.  Some- 
times it  was  a  pocket  Greek  Testament  in  minion  let- 
ters, yet  as  clear  as  the  largest  pica,  sometimes  a  Bible 
in  three  massive  folios,  with  notes  and  various  readings ; 

8 


PRINTING     AS     AN     ART  [Dept.  A,  Nos.  9-10 

sometimes  an  "  editio  princeps  "  of  a  Greek  classic,  or 
an  entirely  new  Latin  lexicon.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  in  most  of  these  publications  the  modest  imprint 
on  the  title  conceals  instead  of  proclaims  the  part  which 
ought  to  be  credited  to  himself.  He  was  at  once  printer, 
corrector,  publisher,  author. 
The  examples  of  Stephens*  work  is  shown  in 

Dept.  A,  No.  9.  This  is  a  copy  of  Cicero's  "  Epis- 
tolae,"  printed  in  Paris  in  1538.  By  this  time  books 
had  titlepages,  and  printers  were  required  by  law  to 
place  their  imprints  upon  them.  The  Stephens  mark, 
originated  by  Henry  (I)  and  made  famous  by  his  son 
Robert  and  his  grandson  Henry  (II),  was  an  olive-tree 
with  spreading  boughs  and  the  motto,  "  Noli  altum 
sapere  sed  time."  This  appears  upon  the  titlepage  of 
this  volume.  The  type  is  almost  an  exact  copy  of 
Aldus'  best  Roman  font.  Folios  are  employed. 

Dept.  A,  No.  10.  The  Stephens  Press  commissioned 
Angel o  Vergecio  to  design  and  Garamond,  the  first 
French  engraver  of  the  day,  to  cut  the  Greek  fonts 
which  became  famous  as  the  "  Royal  Greeks.'*  The 
second  exhibit  shows  a  volume  printed  in  this  type, 
which  is  particularly  important,  as  it  fixed  the  forrti 
which  the  Greek  press  all  over  Europe  followed  for 
more  than  two  centuries.  The  imprint  bears  the  names 
of  Charles  Stephens,  a  brother  of  Robert,  and  a  physi- 
cian, who  had  taken  nominal  possession  of  the  property 
when  Robert  fled  to  Geneva  to  escape  the  persecution 
of  the  Sorbonne. 

Henry  (II)  Stephens,  son  of  Robert,  continued  his 
father's  business  in  Geneva,  his  most  famous  work 
being  his  "  Thesaurus  "  in  five  volumes,  which  proved 
his  financial  ruin. 


Dipt.  A,  No.  ii]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

^he  Supremacy  of  France ^  1530-1^70  —  Summary 
of  Exhibits 

No.  9.  M.  Tullii  Ciceronis  Epistolae.  Printed 
by  Robert  Stephens  in  Paris  in  1538. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library. 

No.  10.  AnniANOT  AAEHANAPEHS  PHMAIKHN. 
Printed  by  Charles  Stephens  in  Paris  in  1551. 
Shows  the  "  Royal  Greeks." 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

THE   SUPREMACY    OF   BELGIUM,    1 570-1600 

The  name  of  Christophe  Plantin  (1514-1581)  stands 
out  pre-eminently  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  early  volumes  which  came  from  his  press  are  dis- 
tinguished for  their  accuracy,  beautiful  workmanship, 
and  finish.  The  most  noted  is  the  "Biblia  Polyglotta," 

Dept.  A,  No.  II  (8  vols.,  1569-1573),  which  was 
printed  at  Antwerp  under  the  special  supervision  of 
Arias  Montanus,  Court  Chaplain  of  Philip  II.  of  Spain. 
This  was  not  a  financial  success,  and  Plantin  turned  to 
cheaper  work  in  his  later  volumes. 

'The  Supremacy  of  Belgium,  i^y 0-1600 — Summary 
of  Exhibits 

No.  II.  Biblia  Polyglotta,  Vol.  I.  Printed  by 
Christophe  Plantin  in  Antwerp  in  1569. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library. 

THE   SUPREMACY   OF   HOLLAND,  1 600-1 700 

Henry  Stephens'  death  marked  the  decline  of  good 
printing  in  France,  and  for  the  next  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years  there  was  nothing  to  equal  the  standard 
of  work  already  set.  This  condition  of  affairs  is  per- 

10 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dkpt.  A,  Nos.  12-14 

haps  better  understood  when  one  remembers  that  the 
experience  of  the  printing  presses  so  far  was  a  warning 
that  an  ambition  to  execute  the  best  work  led  to  cer- 
tain commercial  failure.  Sweynheim  and  Pannartz  had 
ruined  themselves  by  Greek.  The  Aldine  Press  had 
been  saved  from  bankruptcy  only  by  the  intervention 
of  Paul  IV.  The  market  for  learned  books  was  limited 
in  point  of  numbers,  and  still  more  limited  in  respect  to 
means.  The  scholars  were  few  and  they  were  poor. 
Public  libraries  did  not  exist.  A  book,  no  matter  what 
its  size,  must  be  sold  for  a  small  sum,  if  it  was  to  be 
sold  at  all.  Plantin  of  Antwerp  was  almost  brought  to 
ruin  by  his  "  Polyglott,"  but  he  retrieved  himself  by 
meaner  publications,  and  died  rich.  Many  of  the  books 
of  this  period  are  printed  upon  Swiss  unbleached 
paper,  which  was  less  expensive  than  the  French  and 
ItaUan ;  and  the  types  were  worn  down  almost  to  the 
bone. 

Out  of  this  deluge  of  poor  printing  which  appeared 
from  1570— 1700  the  work  of  Bonaventura  and  Abraham 
Elzevir  stands  out  in  greater  relief  because  of  the  con- 
trast. The  Elzevirs  first  became  known  in  Holland  as 
book-binders  in  1540,  but  it  was  not  until  16 17  that 
Isaac  Elzevir  set  up  his  first  printing  press,  which  may 
be  considered  as  the  beginning  of  the  Elzevir  work. 
The  twenty-six  years  which  followed  the  purchase  of 
this  press  were  for  the  Elzevirs  years  of  glory  and 
success.  The  early  books  produced  were  by  no  means 
masterpieces,  but  following  their  work,  step  by  step, 
we  find  them  to  have  reached  the  summit  of  their 
excellence  in  the  "  Caesar,"  the  "  Terence,"  and  the 
"Pliny"  of  1635. 

The  question  as  to  who  was  the  maker  of  the  type 
punches  used  by  the  Elzevirs  has  caused  much  discus- 
sion, and  has  never  been  definitely  determined ;  but  it 
is  known  that  the  engraver  was  a  Dutchman  named 
Christopher  Van  Dyke. 


Dbpt.  A,  Nos.  12-14]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

The  examples  of  work  from  the  Elzevir  Press  are 
as  follows :  — 

Dept.  A,  No.  12.  A  copy  of  "  Italiae  Hodiernae," 
containing  excellent  maps  of  the  various  Italian  cities, 
with  description  in  Latin.  This  volume  was  printed  by 
Bonaventura  and  Abraham  Elzevir,  in  Leyden,  in 
1627.  The  cut  of  the  type,  the  presswork,  and  partic- 
ularly the  paper,  are  very  inferior,  but  the  engraving 
of  the  maps  shows  much  more  skilful  workmanship. 

Dept.  A,  No.  13.  This  is  a  copy  of  the  1635  Terence 
which  brought  the  Elzevirs  to  the  height  of  their  fame. 
In  this  example  will  be  noted  the  evident  inferiority 
of  the  ink,  but  the  typography,  the  presswork  (in  two 
colors),  and  the  general  format  mark  a  distinct  and 
interesting  superiority  to  the  work  of  other  printers 
of  the  period. 

Dept.  A,  No.  14.  This  little  copy  of  John  Owen's 
"  Epigrams  **  was  printed  at  the  Elzevir  Press  in  1647. 
It  is  in  the  smaller  size  volumes  that  the  work  of  the 
Elzevirs  shows  to  best  advantage,  but  even  in  this  will 
be  noticed  inferiority  in  presswork,  ink,  and  paper, 
although  the  composition  itself  shows  considerable 
thought. 

^he  Supremacy  of  Holland^  1600-1'/ 00  —  Summary 
of  Exhibits 

No.  12.  Italiae  Hodiernae.  Printed  by  Bona- 
ventura and  Abraham  Elzevir  in  Leyden  in  1627. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  13.  Pub.  Terentii  Comoediae  Sex.  Printed 
by  Bonaventura  and  Abraham  Elzevir  in  Leyden 
in  1635. 

No.  14.  Owen  (J.)  "  Epigrammatum.''  Printed 
by  Bonaventura  and  Abraham  Elzevir  in  Leyden 
in  1647. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

12 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [D»t.  A,  Nos.  15-23 

THE  SUPREMACY  OF  FRANCE  AND  ENGLAND 
i7oc3-i8oo 

The  family  of  Didot  made  its  typographical  appear- 
ance in  France  in  the  person  of  Fran9ois  (i 689-1759), 
and  during  the  eighteenth  century  he  and  his  descend- 
ants succeeded  in  restoring  to  their  native  country  the 
pre-eminence  which  it  had  lost.  The  best  publication 
of  Fran9ois  Didot  was  the  "  Histoire  generale  des  Voy- 
ages," by  his  friend,  the  Abbe  Prevost,  a  work  in  twenty 
volumes,  perfect  in  text  and  enriched  with  many  en- 
gravings. His  son  Fran9ois  Ambroise  (i 720-1 808) 
issued  the  famous  Delphin  classics,  and  another  son, 
Pierre-Fran9ois  (173 2-1 795),  did  much  to  improve 
type-founding  and  paper-making.  The  best  productions 
of  the  press  under  him  were  the  "  Imitation  de  Jesus- 
Christ,"  "  Telemaque,"  and  the  "  Tableau  de  TEmpire 
Ottoman."  Henri  (1765-1852),  eldest  son  of  Pierre- 
Fran9ois,  made  himself  famous  as  an  engraver  and  letter 
founder,  producing  the  famous  "  microscopic  "  types. 
[See  Dept.  A,  Nos.  22,  23.] 

It  remained,  however,  for  the  two  sons  of  Fran9ois- 
Ambroise,  Pierre  Taine  (i76o-i853)and  Firmin  (1764- 
1836),  to  raise  the  family  name  to  the  pinnacle  of 
professional  eminence.  Pierre  Taine  carried  to  comple- 
tion the  beautiful  Louvre  collection  of  Latin  and 
French  classics  which  his  father  had  begun  for  the  use 
of  the  Dauphin.  He  was  acknowledged  the  first  printer 
in  France,  and  he  aspired  to  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  printer  in  Europe.  Italy  at  this  time  boasted 
of  Bodoni  at  Parma  and  England  of  Baskerville  at 
Birmingham.  Firmin  Didot  revived  and  developed 
stereotyping,  cut  and  cast  new  type  faces,  and  ably 
seconded  his  brother's  efforts.  The  "  Racine,"  which 
they  jointly  produced  in  1 801,  was  pronounced  by  a 
French  jury  to  be  "  the  most  perfect  typographical 
production  of  any  country  or  of  any  age." 

13 


Dept.  A,  Nob.  is-iS]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

An  anecdote  apropos  of  the  present  bi-centennial 
exhibition  is  that  of  Benjamin  Franklin's  visit  to  the 
Didot  Press  in  1780.  The  American  ambassador  ap- 
proached one  of  the  presses,  and  after  having  examined 
it,  he  seized  the  bar  and  printed  several  sheets  with  an 
ease  which  surprised  the  onlookers.  "  Do  not  be  as- 
tonished, gentlemen,"  said  Franklin,  "  this  is  my  own 
trade." 

The  first  example  of  the  Didot  work  is 

Dept.  A,  No.  15.  It  was  printed  by  Fran9ois  Didot 
in  1747.  Compared  with  the  Stephens  work  a  century 
earlier,  it  is  poor,  but  coming  as  it  did  out  of  the  mass 
of  wretched  printing  of  the  period,  Fran9ois*  efforts 
were  hailed  by  France  with  joy,  because  of  their 
promise,  —  which  was  amply  justified. 

The  next  two  exhibits  are  of  particular  interest,  as  they 
afford  an  excellent  opportunity  of  comparison. 

Dept.  A,  No.  16,  is  a  copy  of  Fenelon's  Works, 
printed  by  Fran9ois  Ambroise  Didot  in  1787.  The 
paper  marks  a  distinct  advance,  largely  due  to  his  ex- 
periments. The  type  is  distinctive,  the  composition 
good,  and  the  presswork  shows  an  advance,  although 
the  color  varies. 

Dept.  A,  No.  17,  is  a  later  volume  in  the  same  series, 
which  was  completed  in  1792  by  Pierre  Didot  Taine, 
son  of  Fran9ois  Ambroise.  The  type  and  paper  are  the 
same,  but  Pierre  has  substituted  a  single  rule  for  the 
Oxford,  a  lighter  and  smaller  face  for  the  headings, 
and  his  presswork  is  much  cleaner  and  more  even  in 
color. 

Dept.  A,  No.  18.  This  copy  of  Boileau  is  one  of 
the  Louvre  editions.  It  is  printed  in  types  engraved 
and  cast  by  Firmin  Didot.  This  type  marks  the  turn- 
ing point  between  the  ancient  and  the  modern  fonts. 
The  paper  is  good  and  the  presswork  careful. 

H 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [D»t.  A,  Nos.  19-43 

Note.  For  convenience  of  arrangement,  the  exhibits  of  the  Didot  Press 
are  all  included  in  Dept,  A,  although  the  following  examples  properly 
belong  among  the  modern  books  {Dept.  B). 

Dept.  A,  No.  19.  Pierre  Didot,  Taine,  and  his  son 
Jules  issued  this  sample  book  of  a  new  series  of  type  in 
18 19.  The  type  itself  and  the  style  of  composition  are 
practically  identical  with  Bodoni*s  work. 

Dept.  A,  No.  20.  This  little  volume  of  "Tasso," 
printed  by  Pierre  Didot,  Taine,  in  1820,  shows  more 
than  the  influence  of  Bodoni,  being  rather  the  result 
of  collaboration.  The  type  is  the  same  cut,  the  orna- 
mental rule  at  the  head  of  the  page  is  identical,  and  the 
general  style  of  typography  is  that  shown  in  the  earlier 
Italian  volumes. 

Dept.  A,  No.  21,  shows  a  volume  printed  in  Greek 
in  1823  by  Jules  Didot,  son  of  Pierre  Didot,  Taine.  A 
comparison  with  the  Bodoni  Greek  shown  in  Depart- 
ment B  is  interesting.  The  format  of  this  volume,  even 
to  the  ornamental  rule,  is  reminiscent  of  the  Italian 
influence. 

The  famous  "microscopic"  type,  produced  by  Henri 
Didot,  is  shown  in 

Dept.  A,  No.  22.  This  copy  of  "Horace"  was 
printed  by  Firmin  Didot  in  1855,  and  is  a  superb 
example  of  engraving,  typography,  presswork,  and 
paper. 

Dept.  A,  No.  23.  These  two  sheets  show  the  "  bril- 
liant "  size  of  the  "  microscopic  "  types. 

John  Baskerville  (1706-1775),  upon  whom  Eng- 
land's claim  for  consideration  in  eighteenth-century 
typography  rests,  was  at  first  a  footman,  then  a  writing- 
master,  and  later  carried  on  the  business  of  japanning 
with  great  success.  About  1750  he  began  to  make 
laborious   and  costly  experiments   in  letter-founding, 

15 


Dipt.  A,  Nos.  24-25]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

and  succeeded  in  producing  results  which,  although  not 
now  admired  as  they  once  were,  showed  a  revival  of 
interest  in  printing  as  an  art.  Macaulay  says  of  his 
"  Virgil,"  printed  in  1756,  that.it  "  was  the  first  of  those 
magnificent  editions  which  went  forth  to  astonish  all 
the  librarians  of  Europe,"  and  which,  fifty-five  in  all, 
include  Milton,  Juvenal,  Congreve,  Addison,  the  Bible, 
a  Greek  New  Testament,  Horace,  and  Catullus. 

The  examples  of  Baskerville*s  work  shown  are  as 
follows : 

Dept  A,  No.  24.  A  copy  of  the  "  Virgil,"  showing 
his  early  work.  [1757.]  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  pre- 
senting a  copy  of  this  volume  to  the  Harvard  College 
Library,  wrote  (April  28,  1758) :  "It  is  thought  to  be 
the  most  curiously  printed  of  any  book  hitherto  done 
in  the  world." 

Dept.  A,  No.  25.  A  copy  of  the  "  Horace,"  printed 
in  1770,  near  the  close  of  his  life.  Both  volumes  are 
printed  in  the  same  type,  which  is  admirably  cut.  The 
composition  is  carefully  considered,  and  the  paper  fair, 
the  ink  poor.  The  presswork  is  not  so  good  as  in  the 
earlier  volume. 

A  comparison  of  the  productions  of  the  Didots  and  of 
Baskerville  convinces  one  that  the  Didots*  contribution 
to  typography  was  the  most  important  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

^he  Supremacy  of  France  and  England^  iyoch-1800 
Summary  of  Exhibits 

No.  15.  Histoire  generale  des  Voyages.  Vol.  IV. 
Printed  by  Fran9ois  Didot  at  Paris  in  1747. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Athenaum, 

No.  16.  CEuvres  de  Fenelon.  Vol.  I.  Printed 
by  Fran9ois  Ambroise  Didot  in  Paris  in  1787. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

16 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  A,  Nos.  17-25 

No.  17.  CEuvres  de  Fenelon.  Vol.  IX.  Printed 
by  Pierre  Didot,  Taine,  in  Paris  in  1792. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

No.  18.  Poesies  de  Boileau.  Printed  by  Pierre 
Didot,  Taine,  in  Paris  in  1781.  One  of  the 
Louvre  editions. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

No.  19.  Specimen  des  Nouveaux  Caracteres 
de  Pierre  Didot,  Taine.  Printed  in  Paris  in  1819. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  20.  La  Gerusalemme  Liberata.  Vol.  I. 
Printed  by  Pierre  Didot,  Taine,  in  Paris  in  1820. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

No.  21.  Poetae  Graeci  Gnomici.  Printed  by 
Jules  Didot  in  Paris  in   1823. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

No.  22.  Quinti  Horatii  Flacci  Opera.  Printed 
by  Firmin  Didot  in  Paris  in  1855.  It  shows  the 
"microscopic"  type. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

No.  23.  Two  sheets  showing  the  "  brilliant " 
size  of  Henri  Didot's  "  microscopic  "  types. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  24.  Publii  Virgilii  Maronis  Bucolica,  etc. 
Printed  by  John  Baskerville  in  Birmingham  in 

1757- 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  25.  Quintus  Horatius  Flaccus.  Printed  by 
John  Baskerville  in  Birmingham  in  1770. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library, 

17 


MODERN   BOOK-PRINTING 

c.  1 800-1 905 

Though  the  division  of  printing  into  periods  is  more 
or  less  arbitrary,  modern  book-printing  is  here  con- 
sidered as  beginning  with  the  introduction  of  the  so- 
called  "  modern-faced  "  types  ;  roughly  speaking  about 
1800.  During  the  last  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
the  Old  Style  Caslon  forms  of  type  became  more  and 
more  refined,  —  a  progression  shown  in  the  specimen 
sheets  of  Baskerville  and  of  Moore  of  Bristol,  who 
afterward  became  foreman  to  the  Frys,  and  in  such 
types  as  were  used  by  Bulmer  at  The  Shakespeare  Press 
(see  Dept.  B,  under  Bulmer). 

An  impetus  to  the  use  of  very  light  type  had  been 
given  by  the  delicate  engraved  work  of  Thomas  Be- 
wick as  early  as  1780.  Meanwhile  in  Italy,  Bodoni  of 
Parma;  in  France,  Didot;  and  in  England  and  Scot- 
land, Whittingham  and  Constable,  were  all  working 
on  the  same  lines.  In  1 8 1 1,  when  Didot  cut  his  modern 
types  on  a  point  system,  based  on  metric  measurements, 
this  fashion  was  well  under  way.  The  weakness  of  much 
of  this  type  was,  however,  soon  felt ;  the  reaction  from 
which  may  be  seen  in  the  exaggerated  black  types  cut 
by  Jacquemin  in  181 8  and  the  ugly  variations  of  them 
cut  at  London  in  the  same  year.  In  1844  a  sounder 
taste  was  encouraged  by  the  return  to  the  old-face  fonts 
by  The  Chiswick  Press,  which  in  the  "  Diary  of  Lady 
Willoughby "  reintroduced  these  admirable  types  to 
the  booklover.  From  that  time  to  the  present  day, 
excellent  work  has  been  done  in  these  types  by  all  the 
leading  presses ;  and  in  the  best  of  the  "  modern- 
faced  "  type  under  the  name  of  Scotch-face  —  a  revival 

19 


D«PT.  B,  Nos.  i-iaa]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

abroad  due  chiefly  to  Constable  and  other  printers  in 
Scotland  and  to  one  or  two  Presses  in  this  country. 

In  1 89 1  a  marked  influence  was  felt  from  the  books 
which  William  Morris  began  to  print  at  The  Kelmscott 
Press,  Hammersmith  (i 891-1898).  His  types,  de- 
signed and  cut  especially  for  his  books,  together  with 
the  illustrations  and  decorations,  designed  by  and  for 
him,  the  hand-made  paper  which  he  adopted,  and  the 
hand  presswork  by  which  the  books  were  executed 
taught  certain  lessons  of  harmony  and  unity  to  print- 
ers which  are,  perhaps,  his  most  valuable  contribu- 
tion to  printing  as  an  art.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
considered  the  leading  printer  of  the  period,  a  retro- 
spect of  ten  years  has  placed  him  rather  with  those 
great  decorators  who  have  turned  their  attention  to  the 
printed  book.  The  work  of  his  Press  has  been  followed 
by  numbers  of  experiments  in  the  cutting  and  designing 
of  special  types,  both  English  and  American,  many  of 
which  have  been  eminently  successful;  and  during  the 
last  few  years  the  somewhat  Gothic  feeling  of  the 
Kelmscott  Press  books  has  been  slowly  abandoned  for 
the  lighter  and  more  classical  styles  of  type  founded  on 
Italian  models  of  the  fifteenth  century, — a  movement 
in  which  The  Doves  Press,  London,  has  been  chiefly 
instrumental,  ably  seconded  by  several  American  and 
English  printers  and  designers.  The  influence  of  these 
English  Presses  has  been,  however,  very  strongly  felt 
in  America  in  all  classes  of  work^  indeed  more  strongly 
than  in  England,  where  their  influence  is  much  more 
limited.  The  mass  of  American  commercial  book-print- 
ing still  remains  inferior  to  the  English  printing  of  the 
same  class,  which  for  beautiful,  readable,  and  sober 
volumes  holds  pre-eminence  at  the  present  moment; 
though  that  country  has  not  produced  as  yet  any  one 
volume  on  printing  so  magnificent  as  is  the  "  Histoire 
de  rimprimerie  en  France,"  by  Claudin,  printed  at  the 
national  French  printing-house. 

20 


PRINTING    AS     AN    ART  [Dipt.  B,  Nos.  i-6 

1-6.   STAMPERIA  REALE,  PARMA 

GiAMBATTisTA  BoDONi  (1740-1813),  the  Celebrated 
director  of  this  Press,  issued  his  first  volume  as  early 
as  1768.  But  the  character  of  Bodoni's  types  and  the 
effect  of  his  books  are  distinctly  of  the  modern  school  in 
printing.  This  Press  became  known  throughout  Europe 
for  the  brilliancy  of  its  work ;  it  was  visited  by  all  the 
notables  of  the  day  who  were  making  the  "grand  tour  "  ; 
and  at  Bodoni*s  death  he  was,  in  public  estimation,  the 
first  typographer  of  his  time.  His  extraordinary  collec- 
tion of  Roman,  Greek,  and  "exotic"  types  was  probably 
unequalled,  and  his  "  Manuale  TIpografico,"  completed 
by  his  widow  in  1 8 1 8,  is  one  of  the  very  finest  specimen 
books  extant. 

He  printed  in  Greek,  Latin,  Italian,  French,  Russian, 
German,  and  English — Walpole's  "  Castle  of  Otranto  " 
(1791),  Gray's  Poems  (1793)5  and  Thomson's  "Sea- 
sons" (1794)  being  among  the  English  books.  He 
died,  after  a  life  full  of  honors,  at  Parma  in  18 13. 

In  connection  with  this  exhibition  the  following  letter 
is  of  interest: 

Philadelphia,  Oct.  14,  1787. 

Sir:  I  have  had  the  very  great  pleasure  of  receiving  and  perusing  your 
excellent  Essai  des  Caracteres  de  P Imprimerie.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  that  Art  has  hitherto  producM.  I  should  be  glad  to  see  a 
specimen  of  your  other  Founts  besides  this  Italic  &  Roman  of  the  Letter 
to  the  Marq^  de  Cubieres ;  and  to  be  informed  of  the  price  of  each 
kind.  —  I  do  not  presume  to  criticise  your  Italic  Capitals ;  they  are  gen- 
erally perfect :  I  would  only  beg  leave  to  say,  that  to  me  the  form  of 
the  T  in  the  word  LETTRE  of  the  Title  Page  seems  preferable  to 
that  of  the  T  in  the  word  Typographie  in  the  next  Page,  as  the  down- 
ward stroke  of  T,  P,  R,  F,  B,  D,  H,  K,  L,  I,  and  some  others, 
which  in  writing  we  begin  at  the  top,  naturally  swells  as  the  pen  de- 
scends; and  it  is  only  in  the  A  and  the  M  and  N  that  those  strokes  are 
fine,  because  the  pen  begins  them  at  the  bottom.  With  great  esteem  I 
have  the  honour  to  be,  M.  Bodoni, 

Sir,  Your  most  obedient  &  most  humble  servant, 

B.  FRANKLIN 
21 


Dipt.  B,  Nos.  1-5]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  I.  La  Giuditta.  Bodoni,  Parma.  1813. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  2.  In  Morte  del  Cavaliere  Giambattista 
Bodoni  Sommo  Tipografo  Avvenuta.  Parma. 
1814. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  3.  Brief  of  Pope  Pius  VI.  to  Bodoni. 
Parma.  1792. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

One  of  the  twelve  copies  printed  of  the  brief  of  Pius 
VII.,  complimenting  Bodoni  on  his  work.  This  was 
accompanied  by  two  medals  from  the  Pope  —  one  of 
gold  and  one  of  silver.  When  the  Pope  saw  the  form 
in  which  Bodoni  had  printed  this  brief,  he  said  to  the 
bearer  of  it,  who  had  presented  it  to  him  in  the  name 
of  Bodoni,  "  Now  one  wishes  for  another  brief  to  praise 
the  first  one." 

This  copy  was  formerly  the  property  of  A.  A. 
Renouard,  author  of  "Annales  de  Tlmprimerie  des 
Aide." 

No.  4.  Oratio  Dominica  in  CLV  Lingvas  versa 
et  Exoticis  Characteribvs  Plervmqve  Expressa. 
Bodoni,  Parma.  1806. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

This  book  was  dedicated  to  Eugene  Beauharnais,  vice- 
roy of  Italy ;  and  this  particular  copy  was  given  by  him 
to  Firmin  Didot,  January  20,  1809,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  autograph  inscription,  in  Didot's  hand,  facing  the 
titlepage. 

No.  5.  Anacreon.  Bodoni,  Parma.  1791.  One 
of  the  rarest  of  Bodoni's  productions. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

22 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  6-7 

No.  6.  Callimachus.  (In  Greek  and  Italian.) 
Bodoni,  Parma.  1792.  Shows  Bodoni's  Greek 
types. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

7-10.  THE  SHAKESPEARE  PRINTING  OFFICE 
(WILLIAM  BULMER),  LONDON 

William  Bulmer  was  born  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
and  early  formed  a  friendship  with  Thomas  Bewick. 
After  an  apprenticeship  in  Newcastle,  he  went  to  Lon- 
don, and  with  the  help  of  Boydell  and  of  Nicols,  Libra- 
rian to  George  III., established  the  Shakespeare  Printing 
Office  under  the  style  of  W.  Bulmer  &  Co.  There  he 
issued  the  famous  Boydell  Shakespeare  (1794),  a  folio 
Milton,  and  in  1795  ^^  edition  of  Goldsmith  and 
Parnell's  Poems,  —  a  volume  "particularly  meant  to 
combine  the  various  beauties  of  printing,  type- founding, 
engraving,  and  paper-making,  as  well  as  with  a  view  to 
ascertain  the  near  approach  to  perfection  which  those 
arts  have  attained  in  this  country.'*  Bulmer*s  ornaments 
were  engraved  by  Bewick,  his  paper  made  by  What- 
man. Among  his  other  publications  were  Dibdin*s 
"  Bibliographical  Decameron "  and  Claude's  "  Liber 
Veritatis."  Bulmer  retired  from  business  in  18 19,  and 
died  eleven  years  later.  This  somewhat  full  notice  of 
this  Press  is  given  as  an  interesting  reminder  that,  at  a 
period  certainly  not  generally  associated  with  fine  book- 
making,  serious  efforts  were  made  in  that  direction  which 
met  with  appreciation  and  success. 

No.  7.  Poems  of  Goldsmith  and  Parnell.  Lon- 
don, W.  Bulmer.  1795.  A  special  effort  was  here 
made  to  produce  a  perfect  book.  The  types  were 
cut  by  George  Martin.  The  illustrations  are  the 
work  of  the  Bewicks.   (See  note  on  Bulmer.) 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 


Dept.  B,  Nos.  8-ii]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  8.  The  Chase.  By  William  Somerville. 
With  illustrations  designed  and  cut  by  Bewick. 
London,  W.  Bulmer.  1796.  Shows  Bulmer's 
typography  in  relation  to  illustrations. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  9.  Dramatic  Works  of  Shakespeare.  Folio 
Edition.  London,  W.  Bulmer,  Shakespeare 
Printing  Office.  1802.  To  be  examined  for  its 
brilliant  presswork  and  typography  in  the  taste 
of  the  day.  The  types  in  general  effect  resemble 
Baskerville. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  10.  Bibliographical  Decameron.  By  T.  F. 
Dibdin.  W.  Bulmer,  Shakespeare  Printing  Office, 
London.  18 17.  A  "book-lover's  book''  of  the 
first  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 


II-13.   LEE   PRIORY   PRESS, 
ICKHAM,    ENGLAND 

In  1 8 13  this  Press  was  established  at  Ickham,  near 
Canterbury,  by  Sir  Egerton  Brydges.  It  produced 
some  rather  interesting  volumes.  The  compositor  for 
this  Press  was  John  Johnson,  author  of  "  Typographia, 
or  the  Printer's  Instructor"  (1824). 

No.  II.  Excerpta  Tudoriana.  Lee  Priory  Press, 
Ickham,  England,  [c]  181 3.  The  borders  and 
general  effect  show  the  influence  of  Bodoni  and 
Didot. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

24 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  12-16 

No.  12.  Dunluce     Castle.     Lee    Priory    Press, 
Ickham,  England.    1814. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library. 

No.  13.  The  Brother-in-Law.  A  Comedy.  Lee 
Priory  Press,  Ickham,  England.   1 8 1 7. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 


14-16.  THOMAS  BENSLEY,  LONDON 
(and  R.  ACKERMANN,  LONDON) 

This  printer  carried  on  an  office  in  London  in  the 
early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  his  chief  pro- 
ductions were  Macklin's  Folio  Bible,  Hume's  "His- 
tory of  England,"  and  an  octavo  Shakespeare.  He  will 
be  chiefly  remembered,  however,  for  the  letterpress  of 
those  volumes,  with  charming  colored  illustrations,  pub- 
lished by  Rudolph  Ackermann,  who  established  artistic 
lithography  in  England.  Bensley  died  about  1833.  His 
work  represents  the  output  of  the  substantial  printer  of 
the  period.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  his  printing 
office  was  in  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  near  the  lodgings 
occupied  by  Dr.  Johnson. 

Nos.  14-15.  Microcosm  of  London.  Printed  by 
T.  Bensley  for  Ackermann.  London.  1808— 11. 
The  architectural  portion  of  the  plates  of  this 
book  was  designed  by  the  elder  Pugin  (1762- 
1832),  and  the  figures  by  Rowlandson  (1756- 

1807). 

No.  16.  Antiquities  of  Westminster  Abbey. 
Ackermann,  London.  18 12.  Showing  Acker- 
mann's  lithographic  work. 


Dipt.  B,  Nos.  i7-a6]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

17-26.  THE   CHISWICK  PRESS,  LONDON 

This  Press  is  famous  in  the  annals  of  English  typog- 
raphy, the  soundest  traditions  of  which  it  has  consist- 
ently upheld  for  over  a  century.  It  was  founded  by 
Charles  Whittingham  (b.  1767)  about  iSioand  was  first 
started  at  Chiswick.  He  continued  the  work  of  this  Press 
until  his  death  in  1840.  His  nephew  Charles  Whitting- 
ham was  associated  with  him  from  1824  to  1830,  but  in 
1828  he  established  himself  in  the  premises  occupied  by 
Valpy  at  Tooks  Court,  Chancery  Lane.  Here  he  began 
to  print  for  Pickering.  He  succeeded  to  his  uncle^s  busi- 
ness in  1840,  and  carried  on  both  establishments.  On 
his  death,  the  business  became  the  property  of  his  sons. 
After  1876  this  Press  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
George  Bell,  the  publisher,  though  still  retaining  the 
Whittingham  name.  The  present  manager,  Mr.  C.  T. 
Jacobi,  is  known  as  the  author  of  several  useful  books 
on  typography. 

It  was  at  The  Chiswick  Press  that  the  use  of  the  old- 
face  Caslon  type  was  revived  in  1 843  in  "  The  Diary 
of  Lady  Willoughby  "  ;  a  revival  followed  by  printers 
throughout  England.  The  volumes  in  sexto-decimo  and 
octavo  printed  for  William  Pickering  are  perhaps  the 
most  characteristic  productions  of  this  Press — charming 
little  volumes,  which  for  utility  and  beauty  have  not 
been  surpassed  in  modern  times.  The  splendid  series 
of  black  letter  Prayer  Books,  the  octavo  Milton, 
Taylor,  Herbert,  and  the  British  Poets  are  all  worthy 
of  study.  The  decorations  of  many  of  these  books 
were  designed  and  cut  on  wood  by  Whittingham's 
niece,  Mary  Byfield.  Of  late  years,  by  its  excellent  work 
for  Messrs.  Bell  and  many  other  publishers,  this  Press 
has  maintained  its  place  in  the  first  rank  of  English 
printing-houses. 

Emblem  :  A  lion  holding  a  shield^  on  which  is  an  Aldine  anchor  and 
dolphin, 

26 


I 


PRINTING     AS     AN     ART  [Dipt.  B,  Nos.  17-23 

No.  17.  Breviarium  Aberdonense.  Printed  by 
Whittingham  for  The  Bannatyne  Club.  London. 
1854.  Fine  specimen  of  liturgical  printing. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  18.  Sallust.  Pickering,  London.  1863. 
Printed  by  C.  Whittingham,  Tooks  Court. 
London. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  19.  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of  1662. 
London,  Pickering.  1844.  One  of  a  series  of 
folio  Prayer-books  printed  at  the  Chiswick  Press 
for  Pickering.  Initials  and  borders  are  cut  on 
wood. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  20.  Diary  of  Lady  Willoughby.  London. 
1844.  Printed  at  the  Chiswick  Press  by  Whit- 
tingham, in  Caslon  Old  Style  type  —  a  revival  in 
the  use  of  these  types  after  many  years  of  disuse. 

Lent  by  tht  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  21.  Table-Talk  of  John  Selden.  London, 
Pickering.  1847.  One  of  the  i6mo  volumes 
printed  at  the  Chiswick  Press  for  Pickering. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  22.  Milton's  Works  (8  vols.,  octavo).  Lon- 
don, Pickering.    1 8  5 1 .  Printed  by  Whittingham. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  23.  Poems  of  Henry  King.  London,  Picker- 
ing. 1843.  ^  1 6 mo  volume  of  poetry  printed 
by  Whittingham. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  Tht  Society  of  Printers, 

27 


DBPT.  B,  Nos.  H-aS]  THE   DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  24.  Bacon's  Novum  Organum.  Printed  for 
Pickering  by  C.  Whittingham.  1850.  Shows 
decorative  titlepage  of  one  of  the  Chiswick 
Press  volumes. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  25.  Anthony  Van  Dyck.  By  Lionel  Cust. 
Bell,  London.  1900.  A  modern  Chiswick  Press 
book. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  26.  Walton's  Lives.  New  York,  Scott- 
Thaw  Co.  1904.  A  good  example  of  modern 
work  from  the  Chiswick  Press,  London. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

27-28.  THE  DANIEL  PRESS,  OXFORD 

The  books  issued  under  this  imprint  are  arranged  and 
printed  by  Rev.  C.  H.  O.  Daniel,  Provost  of  Worces- 
ter College,  Oxford,  from  the  well-known  Fell  types 
(presented  to  The  University  Press  by  Dr.  Fell,  Bishop 
of  Oxford  before  1687)  secured  by  Dr.  Daniel  for  this 
purpose. 

Printer*  s  Mark  :  J  figure  of  Daniel  and  a  liony  with  the  motto 
"Misit  Angelum  Suum  '*  (He  sent  his  angel). 

No.  27.  Songs.  By  Margaret  L.  Woods.  Daniel 
Press,  Oxford.    1896. 

No.  28.  Fancy's  Following.  Anon.  Daniel  Press, 
Oxford.    1896. 

29-31.  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
(CLARENDON  PRESS)  OXFORD 

Xhe  University  Press  began  its  printing  in  1585,  and 
as  early  as  1629  some  Greek  matrices  had  been  given 

28 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  29-30 

to  It  by  Sir  Henry  Savile.  Its  charter  was  granted  in 
1682  and  a  few  years  later  this  charter  was  enlarged  by 
the  privilege  of  printing  Bibles.  Already  aided  by  Arch- 
bishop Laud,  in  1666-72  a  valuable  gift  of  matrices, 
largely  Dutch  in  origin,  was  made  by  Dr.  Fell,  then 
Dean  of  Christ  Church,  and  later  Bishop  of  Oxford 
—  the  Dr.  Fell  of  Shakespeare's  rhyme.  Of  late  years 
the  use  of  these  beautiful  Fell  types  has  been  revived 
with  great  success. 

Typefounding  began  there  as  early  as  1667  ;  and  about 
the  same  time  Dr.  Fell  promoted  the  establishment  of 
the  paper-mill  at  Wolvercote  —  an  establishment  now 
owned  by  the  University,  where  the  beautiful  Oxford 
India  paper  is  made.  The  first  "  specimen "  of  type 
published  in  England  was  issued  from  this  Press  in 
1693.  In  17 13  the  Clarendon  Building  began  to  be 
utilized  as  a  printing  office.  This  building  (designed  by 
Vanbrugh,  who  built  Blenheim)  was  so  called  because 
partly  built  from  the  copyright  profits  of  Clarendon's 
"  Rebellion,"  which  are  the  property  of  the  University. 
The  Press  was  formerly  in  two  departments,  the  Bible 
Press  and  the  Learned  or  Classical  Press.  But  in  1883 
these  were  united  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Horace 
Hart,  the  present  controller. 

Emblem  :    The  arms  of  the  University  of  Oxford, 
Motto  :   Dominus  Illuminatio  Me  a  {God  is  my  light  J) 

No.  29.  Early  English  Printing-types.  By  E. 
Gordon  DufF.  London.  1896.  Printed  at  the 
University  Press,  Oxford,  from  the  Fell  types. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  30.  Oxford  Book  of  English  Verse.  Claren- 
don Press,  Oxford.  1901.  Show^ing  use  of  Fell 
types. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

29 


Dkpt.  B,  Not.  31-33]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  31.  Coronation  Prayer  Book.  University 
Press,   Oxford.    1902. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  31  a.  Oxford  Caxton  Memorial  Bible. 
Printed  (from  type)  and  bound  in  12  hours.  It 
contains  1052  pages  and  loi  persons  were  em- 
ployed upon  it.  Oxford.   1877. 


32-35.   THE   KELMSCOTT   PRESS, 
HAMMERSMITH   (LONDON) 

This  famous  Press  was  started  by  the  late  William 
Morris  (i  834-1 896)  in  the  year  1890.  For  it  he  de- 
signed three  fonts  of  type,  the  Golden,  Troy,  and 
Chaucer,  and  an  immense  number  of  borders  and 
initials  —  of  which  the  blocks  were  deposited  after  his 
death  in  the  British  Museum.  Between  April,  1891, 
and  March,  1 898,  fifty-three  books  were  produced.  His 
Chaucer  (i  896)  is  generally  considered  the  great  achieve- 
ment of  this  Press,  which  has  had  a  most  potent  influ- 
ence on  printing  as  an  art.  [See  also  notice  on  "  Modern 
Printing  "  above.'] 

No.  32.  Worksof  Geoffrey  Chaucer.  Kelmscott 
Press,  Hammersmith.  1896.  The  pictures  are 
engraved  on  wood  after  designs  by  Sir  Edward 
Burne-Jones ;  the  borders  and  initials  are  by 
William  Morris ;  and  the  type  is  the  "  Chaucer," 
a  variant  of  the  Troy  font.  It  is  considered  the 
masterpiece  of  this  Press. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  33.  Chronicles  of  Fraunce.  By  Sir  John 
Froissart.    Trial    pages   on    vellum.     Kelmscott 

30 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  34-35 

Press,  Hammersmith.    1 897.   Owing  to  the  death 
of  Mr.  Morris,  this  work  was  never  completed. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  34.  Recuyellof  theHystoryesofTroye.  By 
Raoul  le  Fevre.  Translated  by  William  Caxton. 
Kelmscott  Press,  Hammersmith.  1892.  This 
shows  Mr.  Morris's  Troy  type.  The  decorations 
are  by  Mr.  Morris. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  35.  The  Golden  Legend  of  J.  de  Voragine. 
Translated  by  William  Caxton  and  edited  by  F.  S. 
Ellis.  Kelmscott  Press,  Hammersmith.  1892. 
This  shows  William  Morris's  Golden  type,  and 
the  decorations  are  also  his. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library. 


36-38.  THE   VALE   PRESS,  LONDON 

The  Vale  Press,  the  labors  of  which  are  now  brought 
to  a  close,  is  not  in  the  strict  sense  a  Press  at  all,  but 
a  name  applied  to  that  output  of  The  Ballantyne  Press 
which  was  executed  under  the  direction  of  Charles 
Ricketts  and  printed  from  type,  and  with  decorations, 
designed  by  him.  Its  work  is  more  classical  in  feeling 
than  that  of  Morris,  and  less  severely  classical  than  that 
of  The  Doves  Press.  The  decorative  designs  employed 
are  generally  most  admirable  and  the  books  are  always 
interesting.  Mr.  Ricketts'  font  of  Vale  type  (in  two 
sizes)  has  been  used  in  most  of  these  publications.  The 
Kings  font,  a  newer  venture,  though  based  upon  very 
early  models,  can  scarcely  be  called  satisfactory  to  the 
average  eye.  Mr.  Ricketts  has  here  reverted  to  half 
uncial  forms  and  discarded  some  letters  in  favor  of  an 
earlier  type  of  letter. 

31 


D«PT.  B,  Nos.  36-38]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  36.  Bibliography  of  the  Vale  Press.  London. 
1904.  A  page  showing  the  King's  font,  designed 
by  C.  Ricketts. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library. 

No.  37.  De  la  Typographie  et  de  T Harmonic 
de  la  Page  Imprimee.  William  Morris  et  son 
Influence  sur  les  Arts  et  Metiers.  Vale  Press 
(Ballantyne  Press).  1898.  Printed  in  Vale  type, 
showing  arrangement  of  rules  and  florets  by 
Mr.  Ricketts. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  38.  The  Rowley  Poems.  By  Thomas  Chat- 
terton.  Vale  Press,  London.    1898.  (2  vols.) 

Lent  by  Harvard  College  Library, 


39-41.   THE   DOVES   PRESS, 
HAMMERSMITH,    LONDON 

This  small  but  most  distinguished  Press  has  achieved, 
after  The  Kelmscott  Press,  the  highest  reputation  in 
England  among  the  so-called  private  presses,  and  to  it, 
indeed,  may  be  said  to  have  descended  the  mantle  of 
Morris.  Mr.  Emery  Walker,  by  whose  taste  and  prac- 
tical knowledge  much  of  Mr.  Morris's  work  was  made 
possible,  and  Mr.  Cobden-Sanderson,  chief  of  the 
Doves  Bindery,  are  the  owners  of  this  Press.  They  have 
designed  for  it  the  admirable  type  based  on  that  of 
Nicolas  Jenson,  in  which  all  books  published  by  them 
have  been  printed.  The  Doves  Press  has  had  great  in- 
fluence in  directing  the  taste  of  the  booklover  from  the 
somewhat  heavily  decorated  books  of  Morris  to  the 
simpler  and  sounder  beauties  of  severely  elegant  type, 
elegantly  disposed,  upon  paper  which  in  quality  and 
proportion  leaves  little  to  be  desired. 

32 


PRINTING     AS     AN     ART  [Dipt.  B,  Nos.  39-43 

No.  39.  The  English  Bible.  Doves  Press,  Ham- 
mersmith. 1903.  Showing  a  page  of  prose.  This 
book  is  considered  the  great  achievement  of  this 
Press.  It  is  among  the  most  beautiful  of  modern 
books. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  40.  The  English  Bible.  Doves  Press,  Ham- 
mersmith. 1 904.  Showing  a  page  of  poetry  with 
rubricated  initials. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  41.  The  Ideal  Book.  By  T.  J.  Cobden- 
Sanderson.  Doves  Press.   1900. 


42-44.   THE  ASHENDENE  PRESS, 
(CHELSEA)  LONDON 

This  Press,  which  has  been  called  "  the  serious  play- 
thing of  Mr.  Hornby  and  his  family,"  is  the  property 
of  Mr.  C.  H.  St.  John  Hornby.  Its'  first  book  was 
printed  in  1894.  All  the  books  are  printed  on  a  hand- 
press,  on  hand-made  paper,  with  strong  black  inks,  by 
Mr.  Hornby  himself,  with  one  assistant ;  although  his 
wife  and  sister  have  aided  him  in  his  work  at  the  Press. 
The  number  of  his  books  is  not  great,  but  they  are 
marked  by  a  distinction  and  beauty  of  typography  and 
presswork  which  is  above  praise.  In  them  the  taste  and 
spirit  of  the  amateur  is  combined  with  professional 
excellence  of  workmanship.  Mr.  Hornby  has  used  in 
his  books  an  interesting  form  of  Gothic  type,  of  which  a 
specimen  is  shown. 

Nos.  42-43.  Dante's  Inferno  (1902)  andPurga- 
torio(i904).  Ashendene  Press,  London.  Printed 

33 


D.PT.  B,  No8.  44-46]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

by  St.  John  Hornby  and  Cicely  Hornby,  show- 
ing Ashendene  type.  Initials  are  by  hand. 

Lent  by  Charles  Eliot  Norton^  Esq, 

No.  44.  Fioretti  di  San  Francesco  di  Assisi. 
Ashendene  Press,  London.  1901.  Showing 
Ashendene  types.   Illustration  is  cut  on  wood. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

45-46.   MODERN  GREEK  TYPES 

The  following  fonts  of  Greek  types  are  indicative  of  the 
recent  revival  of  interest  in  types  and  printing : 

No.  45.  Macmillan  fonts  of  Greek  type  designed 
by  Selwyn  Image.  (2  sizes.)  The  New  Testa- 
ment, 1895. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  46.  Robert  Proctor's  font  of  Greek  type. 
Oresteia  of  Aeschylus,  1904. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

47-48.  THE  ERAGNY  PRESS,  EPPING,  ESSEX, 
ENGLAND,  AND  THE  BROOK,  HAMMERSMITH, 
LONDON 

This  Press,  which  represents  all  that  is  most  modern 
in  the  English  revival  under  Morris,  is  presided  over 
by  Esther  and  Lucien  Pissarro.  The  ornaments  and 
illustrations  are  drawn  by  Mr.  Pissarro  and  engraved  on 
wood  by  Esther  Pissarro.  The  first  sixteen  books  pub- 
lished have  been  printed  in  the  Vale  type  lent  by  its 
designer,  Mr.  Charles  Ricketts.  The  latest  books  are 
printed  in  the  Brook  type,  designed  by  Mr.  Pissarro 
himself. 

Name  :  From  Eragny  in  Normandy, 

Pressmark  :  A  woman  seated  holding  a  book  inscribed  Eragny  Press  s 
above  a  ribbon  with  the  words  E,  and  Z.  Pissarro,  London, 

34 


i 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dkpt.  B,  No8. 47-51 

No.  47.  Les  Petits  Vieux.  Eragny  Press,  Lon- 
don. 1 90 1 .  Printed  in  Vale  type,  with  illustrations 
printed  in  color,  from  woodblocks  cut  by  Esther 
Pissarro. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  48.  A  Brief  Account  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Eragny  Press,  etc.  The  Eragny  Press,  London. 
1903.  The  first  book  printed  in  Mr.  Pissarro's 
Brook  type. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 


49-51.  THE   ESSEX  HOUSE   PRESS,  CHIPPING 
CAMPDEN,  GLOUCESTERSHIRE,  ENGLAND 

Xhe  Essex  House  Press  is,  if  we  are  not  mistaken,  a 
department  of  the  Guild  of  Handicraft.  Mr.  C.  R.  Ash- 
bee  is  the  director  of  this  Press.  It  was  founded  in  1898 
and  it  has  produced  a  number  of  books.  Formerly  in 
London,  it  is  now  at  Chipping  Campden,  Gloucestershire. 
Mr.  Ash  bee  has  designed  for  the  Press  the  "  Essex 
House  "  type  in  which  many  of  its  later  books  have 
been  printed. 
Emblem:  A  pink. 

No.  49.  Wren's  Parentalia.  Essex  House  Press, 
London. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  50.  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VIL  Essex 
House  Press,  London.  Showing  Mr.  Ashbee's 
"  Essex  House  "  type. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  51.  Pilgrim's  Progress.  Essex  House  Press, 
London.    1899. 

35 


D«PT.  B,  No8.  s»-S4l  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF 

52.  IMPERIAL  PRESS,  CLEVELAND,  OHIO 

X HIS  Press  is  no  longer  in  existence.  The  attractive 
little  volume  shown  is  arranged  by  Mr.  George  French, 
formerly  connected  with  the  Imperial  Press.  Mr. 
French's  contributions  to  the  literature  of  typography 
are  familiar  to  those  interested  in  the  history  and 
practice  of  the  art. 

No.  52.  Printing  in  Relation  to  Graphic  Art. 
By  George  French.  (One  of  15  copies  printed 
on  Japan  paper.)    1903. 


53-56.  THE  VILLAGE  PRESS,  HINGHAM,  MASS. 

Xhis  interesting  little  Press  was  started  in  the  village 
of  Park  Ridge,  Illinois,  by  F.  W.  Goudy  and  W.  H. 
Ransom ;  Mr.  Goudy  acting  as  designer  and  Mr. 
Ransom  as  compositor.  Later  Mr.  Ransom's  interests 
were  transferred  to  Mrs.  Goudy,  who  has  since  then 
learned  to  set  type.  She  undertakes  the  composition  of 
The  Village  Press  books ;  the  presswork  being  done 
by  hand  by  Mr.  Goudy. 

In  1904  the  Press  was  removed  to  Hingham,  Mass. 
For  it  Mr.  Goudy  has  designed  the  Village  type, 
modelled  somewhat  upon  Mr.  Morris's  Golden  font, 
and  in  this  type  ten  books  have  been  issued. 

No.  53.  Lamb's  Dissertation  upon  Roast  Pig. 
Village  Press,  Hingham,  Mass.  Set  in  "Village" 
type.    1904. 

No.  54.  Printing.  By  William  Morris  and 
Emery  Walker.  Village  Press,  Hingham.  Set  in 
"Village"  type.   1903. 

36 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  55-56 

No.  55.  The  Hollow  Land.  By  William  Morris. 
Village  Press,  Hingham,  Mass.  Set  in  "Village" 
type.    1905. 

No.  56.  Original  drawing  of  "  Village "  type. 
By  F.  W.  Goudy. 


57-64.  THE    RIVERSIDE    PRESS,   CAMBRIDGE 

The  Riverside  Press,  which  is  the  printing-house  of 
the  firm  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Company,  was  es- 
tablished by  the  late  Mr.  Henry  O.  Houghton  of 
Vermont  in  1852,  and  from  that  day  to  this  has  held 
a  place  in  the  first  rank  of  American  Presses.  Its 
situation  upon  the  bank  of  the  Charles  in  Cambridge 
gives  it  its  name.  The  quality  of  its  work  in  the  past 
is  shown  by  the  editions  of  Bacon  and  of  Burton's 
"Anatomy  of  Melancholy,"  which  were  achievements 
of  importance  at  the  time  they  were  produced.  Dur- 
ing the  last  five  years  a  special  department  for  the  print- 
ing of  fine  books  —  the  "  Riverside  Press  Editions  "  — 
has  been  established,  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Bruce 
Rogers,  which  has  produced  some  of  the  best  and  most 
attractive  volumes  made  in  this  country.  Mr.  Rogers, 
whose  work  shows  him  to  be  a  careful  student  of  early 
typography  and  design,  has  arranged  both  type  and 
decorations  for  these  books,  many  of  the  latter  being 
cut  upon  wood.  He  has  also  designed  a  special  face  of 
type — the  Montaigne — used  with  great  success  in  the 
monumental  edition  of  Montaigne  in  folio  published  a 
year  or  two  ago.  His  work  in  this  department  has  also 
been  reflected  in  the  other  publications  of  this  house, 
which  for  consistent  and  sensible  books  stands  in  the 
front  rank. 

Emblem:   A  youth  playing  on  pipes. 

Motto  ;    Tout  bien  ou  rien  {If  you  do  it,  do  it  well), 

37 


Dirr.  B,  Not.  57-64]  THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF 

No.  57.  Boccaccio's  Life  of  Dante.  Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1904. 

No.  58.  Essays  of  Montaigne.  (3  vols.)  Folio. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1903. 

No.  59.  Chaucer's  Parlement  of  Foulys. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1904. 

No.  60.  Fifteen  Sonnets  of  Petrarch.  Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1903. 

No.  61.  Sonnets  and  Madrigals  of  Michelangelo. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1900. 

No.  62.  The  Georgics  of  Virgil,  translated  by 
J.  W.  Mackail.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co., 
Boston.    1904. 

No.  63.  The  History  of  Oliver  and  Arthur. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston.    1904. 

No.  64.  The  Declaration  of  Independence — 
Broadside.  Printed  at  the  Riverside  Press,  1905. 
[Hung  on  wall.] 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

65-67.  THE   ELSTON   PRESS, 
NEW  ROCHELLE,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Clarke  Conwell  is  the  proprietor  of  this  Press, 
which  began  its  work  in  the  summer  of  1900 ;  the  first 
book  being  issued  in  December  of  the  same  year.  About 
twenty-five  books  have  been  issued  by  Mr.  Conwell 
which,  among  their  other  merits,  are  remarkable  for 
beauty  and  evenness  of  presswork,  which  is  entirely 
done  by  hand.  The  workmanlike  qualities  of  these 
books  are  a  rebuke  to  much  of  the  ill-performed  work 
which  masquerades  as  "  artistic." 

38 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  65-67 

No.  65.  The  Cenci.  Elston  Press,  New  Ro- 
chelle.  1903.  Showing  hand-presswork.  The 
text  is  set  in  a  Caslon  "  Old  Roman  "  font. 

Lent  by  Mr.  Clarke  ConwelL 

No.  66.  Daphnis  and  Chloe.  Elston  Press,  New 
Rochelle.    1904. 

Lent  by  Mr,  Clarke  ConwelL 

No.  67.  Selections  from  the  Hesperides  of  Her^ 
rick.   Elston  Press,  New  Rochelle.    1903. 

Lent  by  Mr,  Clarke  ConwelL 


68-76.  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS, 
CAMBRIDGE,  MASS. 

This  old  established  Press,  dating  from  1639,  har- 
ring  a  break  between  the  years  1701  and  176 1,  during 
which  period  no  printing  was  done  in  Cambridge, 
has  an  honorable  heritage  in  its  traditions  of  scholar- 
ship and  accuracy  of  printing.  An  older  generation 
will  remember  the  high  standard  of  Messrs.  Welch, 
Bigelow  &  Company,  so  consistently  and  faithfully 
carried  on  by  the  well-known  firm  of  John  Wilson 
&  Son.  The  present  corporation.  The  University 
Press,  John  Wilson  &  Son,  is  in  no  sense  behind 
these  earlier  firms  in  its  efforts  after  typographical 
perfection  —  efforts  shown  in  the  work  of  Mr.  William 
Dana  Orcutt,  its  vice-president,  and  also  in  its  monthly 
publication,  "  The  Printing  Art,"  edited  by  Mr.  Henry 
Lewis  Johnson.  Its  imprint  will  be  found  upon  a 
wide  variety  of  well-printed  books,  produced  for  all 
the  leading  publishers  in  this  country,  and  for  many 
in  England,  Scotland,  and  Italy.  Its  exhibit  shows 
the  versatility  of  its  powers. 

39 


Dk-t.  B,  Nos.  68-73]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  first  Adams  press 
and  the  first  stop-cylinder  press  made  by  Hoe  were 
used  in  this  printing-house. 

No.  68.  Artist's  Way  of  Working.  By  Russell 
Sturgis.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.  1905.  Printed  by 
The  University  Press,  Cambridge.  Showing  com- 
bination of  half-tones  and  letterpress. 

No.  69.  Princess  Kallisto.  By  William  Dana 
Orcutt.  Little,  Brown,  &  Co.  1903.  Printed  by 
The  University  Press,  Cambridge.  Showing  the 
possibility  of  securing  watercolor  effects  in  chil- 
dren's books. 

No.  70.  Ad  Astra.  R.H.Russell.  1902.  Printed 
by  The  University  Press,  Cambridge.  Showing 
combination  of  line  decoration  and  letterpress. 

No.  71.  Old  Creole  Days.  By  G.  W.  Cable. 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  1898.  Printed  by  The 
University  Press,  Cambridge.  Showing  combina- 
tion of  photogravure  headpiece  and  initial  with 
type. 

No.  72.  Robert  Cavelier.  By  William  Dana 
Orcutt;  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.  1904.  Printed 
by  The  University  Press,  Cambridge.  A  "  trade  " 
novel,  showing  heading  and  initial  lettering. 

No.  73.  The  Caxton  Club  Scrap-Book.  Caxton 
Club,  Chicago.  1905.  Printed  by  The  Univer- 
sity Press,  Cambridge.  Showing  a  typical  book 
of  poetry. 

40 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dipt.  B,  Nos.  74-78 

No.  74.  House  of  Life.  By  D.  G.  Rossetti. 
Copeland  &  Day.  1899.  Printed  by  The  Uni- 
versity Press,   Cambridge. 

No.  75.  Ruling  Cases.  Boston  Book  Co.  1903. 
Printed  by  The  University  Press,  Cambridge.  A 
typical  law  page,  representing  a  side  of  printing 
with  which  the  Press  has  long  been  identified. 

No.  76.  Humphrey  Clinker,  by  Tobias  Smollett. 
George  D.  Sproul.  1902.  Printed  by  The  Uni- 
versity Press,  Cambridge.  Regular  novel  work, 
on  hand-made  paper. 


77-79.   THE  MT.  PLEASANT   PRESS, 
HARRISBURG,  PENNSYLVANIA 

The  J.  Horace  McFarland  Company  are  the  pro- 
prietors of  this  Press,  and  Mr.  J.  Horace  McFarland 
is  its  manager.  Its  product  shows  diverse  examples 
of  the  book-work  demanded  of  a  modern  establishment 
devoted  to  general  "  outdoor  "  printing  —  including  ref- 
erence works  and  text-books.  In  many  of  the  volumes 
the  illustrations,  as  well  as  the  design  and  printing, 
have  originated  at  the  Press. 
Emblem:  A  four-leaf  clover. 

No.  77.  A  Woman's  Hardy  Garden.  By  Helena 
R.  Ely.  Macmillan.  1902.  Printed  at  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Press,  Harrisburg. 

Lent  by  J,  H.  McFarland, 

No.  78.  Seen  by  The  Spectator.  New  York, 
The  Outlook  Co.  1902.  Printed  at  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Press,  Harrisburg. 

Lent  by  J,  H,  McFarland, 

41 


D«PT.  B,  Noi.  79-8a]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  79.  Getting  Acquainted  with  the  Trees. 
By  J.  H.  McFarland.  New  York,  The  Outlook 
Co.  1904.  Printed  at  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Press, 
Harrisburg. 

Lent  by  J.  H.  McFarland, 


80-82.  THE  McCLURE  PRESS,  NEW  YORK  < 

The  typography  of  these  books  is  arranged  by  Mr. 
W.  A.  Bradley  for  McClure,  Phillips  &  Co.,  New  York. 
His  work  is  interesting,  in  that  he  applies,  in  the  making 
of  the  "  trade  "  volume,  the  taste  and  care  which,  until 
recently,  was  only  to  be  found  in  the  expensive  book. 

No.  80.  The  Gospel  of  Life.  By  Charles  Wag- 
ner. McClure,  Phillips  &  Co.,  New  York.   1 905. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  81.  The  Rose  of  Joy.  By  Mary  Findlater. 
McClure,  Phillips  &  Co.,  New  York.    1902. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  82.  Shakespeare's  Henry  V.  Acting  Version 
of  Richard  Mansfield.  McClure,  Phillips  &  Co., 
New  York. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

83-89.  THE  GILLISS  PRESS,  NEW  YORlT 

Xhe  Gilliss  Press,  managed  by  Messrs.  Gilliss  Brothers, 
began  its  work  in  1869,  as  the  venture  of  two  brothers, 
Thomas  and  Walter  Gilliss.  In  1884  Mr.  Arthur 
Turnure  became  a  partner,  and  the  style  of  the  house 
became  Gilliss  Brothers  &  Turnure.  This  partnership 
terminated  in  1890.  In  1902  the  firm  became  incor- 
porated as  The  Gilliss  Press.  It  has  achieved  much 

42 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dxrr.  B,  Nos.  83-87 

reputation  for  the  care  and  delicacy  with  which  its  work 
is  turned  out.  Its  typography  has  been  especially  note- 
worthy in  connection  with  the  engraved  and  photo- 
gravure decorations,  which  have  been  features  of  its  most 
important  books.  The  limited  editions  of  the  books  of 
William  Loring  Andrews,  and  some  of  its  issues  for 
The  Grolier  Club,  are  familiar  to  all  American  book- 
lovers. 

Emblem  :  A  shieldy  crowned,  within  a  collar  of  spirals  and  cockleshells. 
Motto  :  Le  Minuzie  fanno  la  Perfezione  ma  la  Perfezione  non  e  una 
Minuzia  (^Trifles  make  perfection,  but  perfection  is  no  trifle^. 

No.  83.  Gossip  about  Book-collecting.  ByW.  L. 
Andrews.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co., New  York.  1 900. 
(2  vols.)   Printed  at  the  Gilliss  Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  York, 

No.  84.  Paul  Revere  and  His  Engraving.  By 
W.  L.  Andrews.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York.  1 90 1.  Printed  at  the  Gilliss  Press.  With 
engravings  by  French. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork. 

No.  85.  Fishing  with  an  Angle.  New  York, 
Scribner.   1903.  Printed  at  the  Gilliss  Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork, 

No.  86.  Bibliopegy  in  the  United  States.  By  W. 
L.Andrews.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.  1902.  Printed 
at  the  Gilliss  Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork, 

No.  87.  Pictures  of  Early  New  York  on  Stafford- 
shire Pottery.  By  R.  F.  H.  Halsey.  New  York, 
Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.  1899.  Printed  at  the  Gilliss 
Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork, 

43 


Dept.  B,  Nos.  88-91]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  88.  Sextodecimos  et  Infra.  By  W.  L. 
Andrews.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York. 
1890.  Printed  at  the  Gilliss  Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork, 

No.  89.  The  Story  of  a  Motto  and  a  Mark. 
By  Walter  Gilliss.  Printed  in  1902  at  the  Gilliss 
Press. 

Lent  by  Gilliss  Brothers^  New  Tork. 

90-91.  THE   MARION   PRESS,  JAMAICA, 
QUEENSBOROUGH,  LONG   ISLAND,  N.  Y. 

This  Press  was  founded  in  1890  by  Mr.  F.  E. 
Hopkins  (its  owner),  formerly  of  The  De  Vinne  Press, 
New  York.  Though  limited  in  its  output,  its  scholarly 
and  careful  work  has  from  its  start  commended  it  to  the 
conservative  booklover ;  and  it  deserves  special  atten- 
tion for  the  great  beauty  and  delicacy  of  its  presswork. 
Emblem  :  A  book  held  open  by  two  hands. 

No.  90.  Catalogue  of  Hasty  Pudding  Club. 
Marion  Press,  Jamaica,  L.  I.  1902.  Showing  the 
delicate  presswork  for  which  this  Press  is  known. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  91.  Sonnets.  By  William  R.  Huntington, 
D.D.  Marion  Press,  Jamaica,  L.  I.    1899. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

Other  books  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  Catalogue.  This  exhibit 
is  marked  by  cards  laid  in  the  case  where  the  books  are  displayed, 

92-96.  THE   DE  VINNE   PRESS,  NEW   YORK 

This  well-known  Press,  until  very  recently  presided 
over  by  Theodore  L.  De  Vinne,  the  doyen  of  American 

44 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  92-95 

printers,  has  achieved  a  great  reputation  for  its  care- 
ful work  —  especially  its  magnificent  presswork.  Its 
founder  has  long  been  the  chief  authority  in  the  United 
States  on  matters  pertaining  to  printing,  and  has 
rendered  great  service  to  typography,  by  his  series  of 
learned  books  about  printing  and  by  the  high  standard 
set  by  his  work  to  the  whole  body  of  American  printers. 
Many  of  the  publications  of  The  Grolier  Club,  New 
York,  are  the  work  of  this  Press.  Mr.  De  Vinne  is  the 
author  of"  The  Invention  of  Printing"  (1876),  "  His- 
toric Types"  (1884),  "Christopher  Plantin  "  (1888), 
"Plain  Printing  Types"  (1900),"  Correct  Composition" 
(1901),  "Title  Pages"  (1902),  "Book  Composition" 
(1904).  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of,  and  now  president 
of.  The  Grolier  Club.  He  has  practically  retired  from 
business,  and  the  printing-house  is  now  managed  by 
the  junior  partner,  Theodore  Brockbank  De  Vinne. 

No.  92.  The  History  of  Helyas,  Knight  of  the 
Swan.  New  York,  The  Grolier  Club.  1901. 
Printed  at  The  De  Vinne  Press. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L,  De  Vinne^  Esq, 

No.  93.  Old  English  Masters.  New  York,  Cen- 
tury Co.    1902.  Printed  at  The  De  Vinne  Press. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L.  De  Vinne ^  Esq, 

No.  94.  The  Tragedie  of  Macbeth.  New  York 
Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.  1903.  Printed  at  The 
De  Vinne  Press. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L,  De  Vinne^  Esq, 

No.  95.  An  Essay  on  Colophons.  By  A.  W. 
Pollard.  Chicago,  Caxton  Club.  1905.  Printed 
at  The  De  Vinne  Press. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L,  De  Vinne^  Esq, 

45 


Dipt.  B,  Nos.  96-98]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  96.  Brilliants.  Printed  in  1905  at  The  De 
Vinne  Press.  A  miniature  volume  in  "  brilliant " 
type. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L,  De  Finne^  Esq. 

97-99.   IMPRIMERIE  NATIONALE,  PARIS 

The  French  Government  Printing  Office  was  estab- 
lished in  1640  by  Louis  XIII.,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Richelieu,  although  Royal  Printers  of  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin  had  been  appointed  as  early  as  1538.  The 
famous  Greek  types  {grecs  du  rot)  cut  by  Garamond 
for  Francis  I.,  as  well  as  the  splendid  Roman  and  Italic 
types  (caracteres  de  V  Universitey  1 540),  and  those  types 
cut  by  Grandjean  and  Alexandre  {types  de  Louis  XI K), 
by  Louis  Luce  (types  poetiques,  1740),  by  Fran9ois 
Didot  (18 1 2),  by  Marcellin-Legrand  (1825,  1859),  as 
well  as  the  recent  ones  by  HenafFe  (1902  and  1904) 
have  all  been  cut  for  this  establishment. 

It  has  also  a  magnificent  repertoire  of  about  158  fonts 
of  oriental  types,  the  earliest  of  which  were  acquired  by 
Antoine  Vitre.  For  many  years  occupying  the  historic 
Hotel  de  Rohan,  this  Press  is  now  to  be  removed  to 
a  new  building,  with  more  modern  installations,  at 
Grenelle.  An  interesting  adjunct  to  this  establishment 
is  a  laboratory  for  the  testing  of  paper,  and  other 
materials  employed  in  its  work. 

No.  97.  Histoire  de  ITmprimerie  en  France. 
By  A.  Claudin.  Paris.  1900.  Printed  at  the 
Imprimerie  Nationale.  Shows  types  cut  by  Gara- 
mond, about  1 540.  Probably  the  finest  work  on 
printing  ever  produced. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  98.  Histoire  de  ITmprimerie  en  France. 
By    A.    Claudin.    Paris.    1900.    Printed    at  the 

46 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  99-100 

Imprimerie  Nationale.  Showing  page  with  illus- 
trations; types  of  Grand)  ean. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  99.  Debuts  de  Tlmprimerie  en  France. 
By  A.  Christian.  Paris.  1905.  Printed  at  the 
Imprimerie  Nationale.  Showing  "Gothique'* 
types  cut  by  HenafFe. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

100.  IMPRENSA   NACIONAL,  LISBON 

Xhe  National  Printing  Office  of  Lisbon  is  presided 
over  by  Dr.  Deslandes.  The  "  Camoens  "  shown  from 
this  Press  was  published  for  the  Paris  Exposition  of 

1900. 

No.  100.  Camoens:  Imprensa  Nacional,  Lisbon, 
1900.  The  type  used  in  this  book  was  cut  and 
cast  at  the  National  Printing-house  of  Lisbon. 

Lent  by  Theodore  L,  De  Vinne^  Esq, 

Of  this  volume  Mr.  De  Vinne  writes :  *' What  I  admire  about  the 
book  is  the  simplicity  of  its  typography,  although  it  tends  a  little  more 
to  feminine  delicacy  than  I  like ;  but  there  is  a  clearness,  sharpness, 
and  precision  about  the  type-work  not  often  noticeable  in  modern 
editions  de  luxe.  The  designs  for  initial  letters  are  simple  and  very  good. 
Those  made  for  head-bands  and  tail-pieces  are  not  so  good ;  but  the 
presswork  of  these  decorations  in  exactness  of  register  and  evenness  of 
color  is  admirable.  It  is  not  the  first  time  that  an  <  artist  *  has  disfigured 
the  type-work  he  has  tried  to  improve.  Note  also  that  the  type-work  is 
wide  leaded  and  thereby  made  more  readable,  although  this  practice 
is  in  opposition  to  some  of  our  modern  reformers  of  typography.** 

101.  FRATELLI   TREVES,  MILAN 

This  firm  stands  among  the  more  progressive  of  Italian 
publishers  and  printers. 

47 


Dipt.  B,  No8.  10I-I02]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  101.  Francesca  di  Rimini.  By  Gabriele 
d'Annunzio.  Fratelli  Treves,  Milan.  1902.  In- 
teresting as  showing  the  influence  of  William 
Morris  on  Italian  printing. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

102.  T.  &  A.  CONSTABLE,  EDINBURGH 

Xhis  firm  stands  In  the  first  rank  of  Scotch  printing- 
houses,  and  its  imprint  will  be  found  on  many  of  the 
best  books  issued  in  Great  Britain.  Mr.  W.  B.  Blaikie 
arranges  the  typographical  work  of  this  Press,  and  it  is 
to  his  scholarship  and  taste  that  much  of  the  beauty  of 
its  books  is  due.  The  revival  of  Scotch-face  type  was 
largely  the  work  of  Messrs.  Constable,  as  is  specially 
exemplified  in  the  volumes  of  Mr.  Nutt's  Tudor  Trans- 
lations. 
Emblem  :  A  ship. 

No.  102.  Antwerp  Delivered,  in  1577.  By  Sir 
W.  Stirling-Maxwell.  Typography  by  T.  &  A. 
Constable,  Edinburgh.  1878.  A  fine  example  of 
a  luxurious  book  on  hand-made  paper.  But  note 
the  lack  of  unity  between  type  and  decorations, 
characteristic  of  books  of  this  period. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

103.  R.  &  R.  CLARK,  EDINBURGH 

Xhis  well-known  firm  of  Edinburgh  printers  produced, 
in  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  series  of 
books  for  Sir  William  Stirling- Maxwell,  which  were 
among  the  finest  volumes  issued  at  that  period.  The 
Clark  imprint  will  be  found  to-day  upon  numerous 
English  books,  all  marked  by  the  quiet  good  taste  and 
that  sense  of  the  "suitable"  characteristic  of  this  house. 

48 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  No.  103 

No.  103.  Procession  of  Pope  Clement  VII.  and 
the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  etc.  By  N.  Hogen- 
burg.  Edited  by  Sir  W.  Stirling-Maxwell.  Typog- 
raphy by  R.  &  R.  Clark,  Edinburgh.  1875.  A 
fine  specimen  of  typography  in  color. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 


104-106.  ISAIAH  THOMAS, 
WORCESTER,  MASS. 

Although  Franklin  called  Isaiah  Thomas  the  "Amer- 
ican Baskerville,"  his  printing  was  not  in  itself  re- 
markable, other  than  in  the  light  of  the  period  in  which 
he  worked  and  the  difficulties  which  lack  of  good  paper, 
good  ink,  and  good  workmen  placed  in  his  way.  He 
was  born  in  1749,  was  trained  for  his  trade  in  Fowle's 
printing  office  in  Boston,and,  after  various  adventures  at 
Halifax  and  in  North  and  South  Carolina,  returned  to 
Boston  in  1770.  In  July  he  issued  the  first  number  of 
"  The  Massachusetts  Spy,"  which  was  so  antagonistic  to 
the  British  government  that  he  incurred  the  anger  of  the 
authorities.  In  April  of  1775  he  quietly  left  Boston  and 
a  month  or  two  later  he  settled  in  Worcester,  where, he 
remained  until  the  end  of  his  life.  It  was  he  who  read  to 
the  people  of  Worcester  on  July  24,  1776,  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  received  in  Worcester  on  that 
day  by  the  hand  of  a  post-rider.  It  may  be  added  that 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Worcester  by  Franklin, 
who  was  the  first  postmaster-general.  Thomas*  chief 
work  was  a  folio  Bible  published  in  1791  — the  first  folio 
Bible  printed  in  America.  Franklin,  to  whom  Thomas 
presented  a  copy,  expressed  his  great  admiration  for  the 
work.  Thomas  was  also  the  first  printer  of  music  from 
movable  types  in  America  and  produced  in  them  the 
"Worcester  Collection  of  Sacred  Harmony."  He  re- 
tired from  business  in  1802  and  spent  the  next  eight 

49 


Dept.  B,  No8.  104-108]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

years  of  his  life  in  writing  his  history  of  printing,  pub- 
lished in  1 8 10.  He  was  the  founder  of  The  American 
Antiquarian  Society  of  Worcester  and  its  first  president. 
He  died  April  4,  1831. 

No.  104.  The  Holy  Bible,  printed  by  Isaiah 
Thomas,  Worcester,  Mass.  (2  vols.)  1791.  The 
first  folio  Bible  printed  in  America. 

Lent  by  Harvard  College  Library^  to  which  this  copy  was  presented 
by  Isaiah  Thomas* 

No.  105.  Worcester  Collection  of  Sacred  Har- 
mony, printed  by  Isaiah  Thomas,  Worcester, 
Mass.  1786.  This  book  contains  the  first  music 
printed  from  movable  types  in  America. 

Lent  by  the  Harvard  College  Library. 

No.  106.  History  of  Printing  in  America.  By 
Isaiah  Thomas.   (2  vols.)   Worcester.    1810. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

IO7-IIO.   THE  ATHEN/EUM  PRESS,  BOSTON 

This  Press  belongs  to  Messrs.  Ginn  &  Company,  the 
well-known  educational  publishers,  who  established 
their  own  Press  in  Boston  as  early  as  1886.  In  1895 
they  built  The  Athenaeum  Press,  which  has  won  a  rep- 
utation for  the  high  character  of  its  product.  Every 
process  of  manufacture  is  there  represented,  and  enables 
the  firm  to  give  to  the  school  world  publications  which 
modern  life  and  modern  methods  demand. 

No.  107.  Northern  Trails.  By  W.  J.  Long. 
Ginn  &  Co.,  Athenaeum  Press,  Boston.    1905. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  108.  Advanced  Algebra.  By  H.  E.  Hawkes. 
Ginn  &  Co.,  Athenasum  Press,  Boston.    1905. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

50 


PRINTING    AS     AN    ART  [Dbpt.  B,  Nos.  109-113 

No.  109.  Innuit  Language.  By  F.  Barnum. 
Ginn  &  Co.,  Athenaeum  Press,  Boston.   1901. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  no.  Graded  Art  Readers.  By  E.  M.  Cyr. 
Ginn  &  Co.,  Athenasum  Press,  Boston,   (n.  d.) 

III"Il8.  THE  MERRYMOUNT  PRESS, 
BOSTON 

Xhis  Press  was  begun  by  its  owner,  Mr.  D.  B.  Up- 
dike, in  a  very  modest  way  in  1893  with  one  compositor 
and  a  small  hand-press.  Slowly  a  composing-room  was 
organized  and  equipped,  to  which  a  pressroom  was 
added  in  1897  and  enlarged  in  1903.  Besides  an  inter- 
esting collection  of  types  and  ornaments,  two  fonts  of 
type  have  been  specially  cut  for  this  Press  —  the  Merry- 
mount,  designed  by  Bertram  Goodhue,  and  the  Mont- 
al/egro,  dtsign^d  by  Herbert  P.  Home.  The  aim  of  the 
Press  has  been  to  undertake  the  work  of  to-day  in  the 
spirit  of  the  best  days  of  printing. 

Name  :  Deri'ved  from  the  iph  century  settlement  of  'Thomas  Morton^  near 
Wollaston,  Massachusetts. 
Emblem  :  A  Maypole. 
Motto  :  Optimum  Fix  Satis  (The  best  is  but  good  enough). 

No.  III.  Minor  Works  of  Tacitus.  Boston. 
D.  B.  Updike.  The  Merrymount  Press.  1904. 
Showing  Merrymount  type. 

No.  112.  Life  of  Michael  Angelo.  By  A.  Con- 
divi.  Boston.  D.  B.  Updike,  The  Merrymount 
Press.  1905.  Showing  Mr.  Home's  Montallegro 
type. 

No.  113.  Arcady  in  Troy.  Privately  printed. 
The  Merrymount  Press.    1903. 

51 


Dkpt.  B,  Nos.  114-120]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  114.  Works  of  Lamb  (in  12  vols.).  Pafraets 
Book  Co.,  Troy.  (n.  d.)  Printed  at  The  Merry- 
mount  Press  in  Scotch-face  type,  first  used  in  this 
country  by  this  Press. 

No.  115.  Letters  of  Rhode  Island  Children. 
Privately  printed.  The  Merrymount  Press.  1904. 

No.  116.  True  Love-Letters.  Privately  printed. 
The  Merrymount  Press.    1905. 

No.  117.  Dedication  John  Carter  Brown  Library, 
Providence.  The  Merrymount  Press.    1905. 

No.  118.  The  Holy  Bible  (in  14  vols.).  R.  H. 
Hinkley  Co.,  Boston.  1904.  The  Merrymount 
Press. 

All  the  above  books  were  lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of 
Printers. 

119.  THE   KIRGATE   PRESS 

Mr.  Lewis  Buddy,  III,  was  the  manager  of  this  Press, 
which  is  now,  as  a  separate  establishment,  given  up. 
Its  imprint  still  appears,  however,  on  volumes  for  the 
typographical  arrangement  of  which  Mr.  Buddy  is  re- 
sponsible. It  takes  its  name  from  Kirgate,  Horace 
Walpole*s  printer  at  Strawberry  Hill.  The  publications 
of  this  Press  are  of  serious  interest  to  the  student  of 
typography  and  bibliography,  to  which  subjects  they 
are  chiefly  devoted. 

Books  arrived  too  late  for  insertion  in  Catalogue,  This  exhibit  is 
marked  by  cards  laid  in  case  where  books  are  displayed, 

120.  THE   HEINTZEMANN   PRESS,    BOSTON 

Mr.  C.  H.  Heintzemann's  Press  is  well-known  to 
Bostonians  and  to  lovers  of  good  printing  at  large,  as 
one  of  the   most  progressive  of  to-day's  commercial 

52 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  B,  Nos.  lai-iaa 

Presses.  The  success  of  Its  decorative  composition 
is  owing  to  Mr.  Heintzemann's  own  studious  care 
and  thought.  His  work  in  book-printing,  though 
somewhat  overshadowed  by  his  own  reputation  in  the 
more  ephemeral  work  for  which  his  Press  is  noted,  is 
however,  a  solid  and  satisfactory  accomplishment,  rank- 
ing with  the  product  of  the  best  printing-houses  in 
America. 

Books  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  Catalogue.    Exhibit  marked 
by  cards  laid  in  case  where  books  are  displayed. 


121.  THE  PLIMPTON  PRESS,  NORWOOD,  AND 
THE  TROW  PRINTING  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK 

The  books  under  these  imprints  are  sent  by  Mr.  A. 
F.  Mackay,  who  superintended  their  making.  Mr. 
Mackay  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  in  the  printing 
world. 

Books  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  the  Catalogue,    This  exhibit  is 
marked  by  cards  laid  in  the  case  where  the  books  are  displayed. 


122.  THE   LAKESIDE   PRESS,  CHICAGO 

Messrs.  R.  R.  Donnelley  &  Sons  Company  are  the 
proprietors  of  this  Press,  which  has  produced  some 
remarkably  good  pieces  of  printing.  The  Committee 
regret  that  owing  to  the  lateness  in  hearing  from  this 
Press,  no  account  of  it  can  be  given. 

Books  received  too  late  for  insertion  in   Catalogue,    Exhibit  marked 
by  cards. 


53 


COMMERCIAL   PRINTING 

In  this  department  are  grouped  exhibits  of  cards,  an- 
nouncements, and  catalogue  pages.  The  purpose  is  to 
show  some  of  the  types  which  may  be  regarded  as 
standard  displayed  in  well-balanced  forms.  The  great 
variety  of  types  offered,  the  constant  effort  for  originality 
and  for  unusual  effects  have  worked  against  the  develop- 
ment of  a  high  standard  in  this  class  of  printing.  The 
attention  which  has  recently  been  given  to  the  use  of  a 
single  face  of  type  in  series,  and  the  careful  avoidance 
of  over-display  or  eccentricity,  have  resulted  in  the 
production  of  interesting  and  attractive  commercial 
printing. 

The  most  widely  used  type  face,  both  for  text  and 
display,  is  Caslon  Old  Style.  This  letter  derives  its 
name  from  an  English  typefounder,  William  Caslon, 
by  whom  it  was  shown  first  in  a  specimen  sheet  issued 
in  1734.  The  capitals,  being  slightly  heavier  than  the 
majority  of  text  letters,  add  color  and  accentuation 
when  used  in  display.  Printed  upon  antique  wove  or 
laid  papers,  the  type  gains  in  strength,  so  that  it  serves 
well  for  titlepages,  running  heads  and  display  lines, 
advertisements  and  announcement  forms.  Many  at- 
tractive titles,  cards,  and  small  forms  are  worked  out 
successfully  in  Caslon  capitals,  either  in  panel  form  or 
in  balanced  display,  producing  results  which  are  some- 
what classical  in  effect. 

Owing  to  the  marked  contrast  in  height  between  the 
capitals  and  lower  case  letters,  this  style  of  display  has 
become  a  conspicuous  feature.  The  exhibits  contain 
numerous  examples  composed  in  Caslon  Old  Style, 
illustrating  the  different  ways  in  which  it  is  used. 

55 


Dipt.  C,  Nos.  1-89]  THE     DEVELOP  ME  NT     OF 

Another  type  in  which  interest  has  been  revived  re- 
cently is  Old  Style  Antique,  a  heavy  faced  Roman 
letter  in  which  all  of  the  elements  are  of  uniform  width. 
The  use  of  this  type  is  prominent  in  catalogue  matter, 
pamphlets,  and  small  announcement  forms  upon  antique 
papers  in  which  an  effort  is  made  for  ecclesiastical  style. 
In  display  the  type  is  most  commonly  used  in  capitals 
and  as  a  body  letter  in  books,  pamphlets,  circulars,  or 
announcements.  The  lower  case  makes  a  solid  page,  yet 
retains  its  legibility. 

In  connection  with  Caslon  Old  Style  and  other  book 
faces.  Priory  and  similar  black  letters  are  used  for 
display  in  titlepages  and  headlines.  They  are  also  em- 
ployed as  headings  for  circulars  and  announcements  set 
in  regular  body  letters  of  Old  Style  Antique.  Priory  is 
often  used  for  rubricated  lines  in  ecclesiastical  and 
decorative  printing. 

Gothic  letters  have  been  given  over  to  architectural 
and  scientific  works  as  titles  or  for  display,  generally 
restricted  to  small  sizes.  The  typographical  emphasis 
so  conspicuous  a  short  time  ago  in  advertisements 
and  commercial  forms,  composed  in  gothics,  has  been 
superseded  by  the  use  of  lighter  faced  types. 

A  variety  of  so-called  private  types  and  recent  type- 
foundry  faces  have  increased  the  resources  for  distinc- 
tive typographic  work,  much  being  produced  which 
has  grace  in  proportion  and  charm  in  the  lines  and  color 
values  in  the  types  themselves. 

The  adoption  of  photo-mechanical  processes  of  en- 
graving has  greatly  increased  the  use  of  decorative 
design  as  a  supplement  to  typography.  The  revival  of 
borders  and  decorative  initials  was  greatly  stimulated 
by  the  work  of  William  Morris  and  by  the  product  of 
other  private  presses  under  similiar  influences.  There 
has  been  a  reaction  from  heavy  borders  and  profuse 
rubrication,  preference  being  given  now  to  lettering 
having  plain  Roman  characteristics,  supplemented  by 

56 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  C,  Nos.  1-14 

simple  decorative  treatments,  avoiding  mediaeval  effects. 
The  use  of  headings,  borders,  and  symbolic  devices  ap- 
propriate to  the  subject  matter  now  gives  color  and  zest 
to  many  announcement  and  catalogue  forms.  The  ex- 
hibits include  several  examples  of  this  class  of  decorative 
printing. 

The  examples  shown  in  this  department  are  in  the 
main  simple  forms  selected  for  the  purpose  of  display- 
ing the  different  types,  styles  of  design,  papers,  and 
other  details  indicative  of  the  application  of  definite 
principles  to  commercial  work,  rather  than  to  show 
elaborate  ones  which,  however  attractive,  are  not  so 
fully  representative. 


Commercial  Exhibits 

Nos.  I-I2.  Circulars  and  announcement  forms, 
composed  in  Caslon  Old  Style  type.  These  show 
accentuation  by  the  use  of  large  capitals  and  dif- 
ferent forms  of  display  by  use  of  capitals,  small 
capitals,  and  italics.  The  tone  and  quality  of  the 
papers  contribute  much  to  the  attractive  quality 
of  these  examples.  Printed  by  D.  B.  Updike, 
The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  13.  Folder.  The  border  line  and  slight 
rubrication  combine  to  produce  the  dainty  and 
pleasing  effect  of  this  example.  Printed  by  D.  B. 
Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  14.  Order  of  Service  pages.  The  symbolic 
devices  in  the  border,  types  used,  and  rubrication 
give  a  distinct  ecclesiastical  style.  Printed  by  The 
Gillis  Press,  New  York. 

57 


Dept.  C,  Nos.  i5-a3]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  15.  Circular,  showing  the  introduction  of 
a  decorative  device  in  the  title.  Printed  by  D.  B. 
Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  16.  Announcement  form,  in  which  rubri- 
cation  and  a  large  initial  produce  decorative 
quality.  Printed  by  D.  B.  Updike,  The  Merry- 
mount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  17.  Ecclesiastical  letter,  composed  in  Old 
Style  Antique,  with  colored  initial.  Printed  by 
The  Heintzemann  Press,  Boston. 

No.  18.  Announcement  form,  showing  the  adap- 
tation of  a  missal  decorative  initial  and  consistent 
rubrication.  Printed  by  The  Gillis  Press,  New 
York. 

No.  19.  Order  of  Service,  with  appropriate 
border  and  rubrication.  Printed  by  The  De 
Vinne  Press,  New  York. 

No.  20.  Church  Bulletin  titles,  showing  simple 
yet  appropriate  styles  in  rule  work  and  display. 
Composed  by  Low  Brothers,  Evanston,  111. 

No.  21.  Programme,  in  which  the  border  and 
types  are  appropriately  combined,  producing  a 
distinctly  mediaeval  style.  Printed  by  D.  B. 
Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  22.  Announcement  form,  composed  in  Italic 
types,  with  large  initial  giving  accentuation  to 
the  form. 

No.  23.  Programme  pages,  showing  tasteful  and 
harmonious  display,  secured  by  the  use  of  a  single 

58 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  C,  Nos.  24-31 

series  of  type,  in  connection  with  rules  and 
florets.  A,  Programme  cover,  composed  in  Ideal 
type.  B.  Composed  in  Priory. 

No.  24.  Circular,  composed  in  Delia  Robbia 
capitals.  Printed  by  The  De  Vinne  Press,  New- 
York. 

No.  25.  Invitation  form,  composed  in  French 
Script,  distinguished  by  the  decorative  character 
of  the  capitals.  Printed  by  The  De  Vinne  Press, 
New  York. 

No.  26.  Library  programme  page,  exhibiting 
well-balanced  display  lines  and  a  slightly  decora- 
tive effect  produced  by  the  use  of  a  simple  rubri- 
cated border.  From  The  School  of  Printing, 
Boston. 

No.  27.  Programme  page  of  distinctive  quality. 
Composed  in  Caslon  Old  Style.  Printed  by  D.  B. 
Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  28.  Menu  page,  showing  the  introduction 
of  symbolic  device  and  the  decorative  treatment 
of  border  in  a  tint.  Printed  by  The  Wayside 
Department,  The  University  Press,  Cambridge. 

No.  29.  Programme  titlepage,  composed  in  Old 
Style  Caslon  and  Flemish  Black,  with  the  intro- 
duction of  a  symbolic  device.  * 

No.  30.  Ticket  form,  composed  in  Delia  Robbia 
type,  with  rubricated  border. 

No.  31.  Circular,  composed  in  Old  Style  type, 
with  initial  of  suitable  decorative  character. 
Printed  by  The  De  Vinne  Press,  New  York. 

59 


Dbpt.  C,  Nos.  32-40]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  32.  Pamphlet  cover  designs,  showing  ex- 
cellent lettering  combined  with  simple,  decora- 
tive features.  Designed  by  T.  B.  Hapgood,  Jr., 
Boston. 

No.  33.  Book  circular  pages,  showing  a  com- 
parison of  effect  with  and  without  rule  borders. 
Composed  by  The  Westminster  Printery,  New 
York. 

No.  34.  Introductory  page  of  circular,  com- 
posed in  Cheltenham  Old  Style.  Arranged  by 
W.  A.  Bradley,  The  McClure  Press,  New  York. 

No.  35.  Titlepages  of  circulars,  showing  consist- 
ency throughout  by  the  use  of  a  single  series  of 
type.  From  The  American  Book  Company,  New 
York. 

No.  36.  Text  page  of  circular,  showing  use  of 
rubricated  borders.  Arranged  by  W.  A.  Bradley, 
The  McClure  Press,  New  York. 

No.  37.  Pamphlet  pages,  showing  decorative 
treatment  produced  by  the  use  of  devices  appro- 
priate to  the  subject  matter.  From  circulars 
printed  by  The  Patteson  Press,  New  York. 

No.  38.  Oblong  pamphlet  titlepage,  composed 
in  Delia  Robbia  type,  combined  with  a  har- 
monious border.  Printed  by  The  Wayside  De- 
partment of  The  University  Press,  Cambridge. 

No.  39.  Pamphlet  pages,  composed  in  Avil  type 
by  The  Wright  &  Joys  Company,  Milwaukee. 

No.  40.  Pamphlet  page,  composed  in  Caslon 
capitals  and  lower  case,  producing  the  highest 

60 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dept.  C,  Nos.  41-48 

degree  of  legibility.  From  the  American  Book 
Company,  New  York. 

No.  41.  Book  circular  pages,  showing  interest- 
ing variations  in  the  use  of  rules,  typographic 
arrangement,  and  two  forms  of  publishers'  mark. 
Arranged  by  W.  A.  Bradley,  The  McClure 
Press,  New  York. 

No.  42.  Introductory  page  of  catalogue,  show- 
ing rubrication  for  border  and  panel  treatment 
of  heading.  Composed  in  French  Old  Style 
capitals  by  The  Morril  Press,  Fulton,  N.  Y. 

No.  43.  Letter  headings,  arranged  in  panel 
forms. 

No.  44.  Ball  order  pages,  showing  the  use  of 
Old  Style  Antique,  with  contrasting  black  letter 
for  accentuation.  Composed  by  The  Rowe  Press, 
Bath,  Maine. 

No.  45.  Programme  titlepage,  composed  in 
Caslon  Old  Style,  showing  the  introduction  of 
decorative  design. 

No.  46.  Letter  headings,  composed  by  The 
Heintzemann  Press,  Boston,  The  White-Evans- 
Penfold  Company,  Buffalo,  and  The  University 
Press,  Cambridge. 

No.  47.  Pamphlet  cover,  showing  suitable  dec- 
orative effect  produced  by  large  capitals  and 
border.  Composed  by  The  Roanoke  Press,  River- 
head,  N.  Y. 

No.  48.  Announcement  form,  composed  in  Old 
Style  Antique  by  The  Prairie  Press,  Chicago. 

61 


i5bpt.  C,  Nos.  49-57]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

No.  49.  Circular,  with  head-band  in  rich  color. 
Printed  by  The  Heintzemann  Press,  Boston. 

No.  50.  Announcement,  having  distinction  pro- 
duced by  the  use  of  heading  and  large  initial, 
supplemented  by  harmonious  typographic  treat- 
ment. Printed  by  The  Heintzemann  Press, 
Boston. 

No.  51.  Titlepageof  circular,  with  simple  border 
treatment  in  tint.  Printed  by  The  Wayside  De- 
partment of  The  University  Press,  Cambridge. 

No.  52.  Tickets  and  announcement  form,  com- 
posed by  the  Geo.  H.  Ellis  Company,  Boston. 

No.  53.  Announcement  card,  with  decorative 
initial  and  rubrication. 

No.  54.  Pamphlet  pages,  composed  by  The 
Patteson  Press,  New  York. 

No.  55.  Announcement  page,  composed  in  the 
Village  type,  designed  by  F.  W.  Goudy,  Hing- 
ham,  Mass. 

No.  56.  Engraved  title  and  text  page  of  brochure, 
designed  and  composed  by  The  Morrill  Press, 
Fulton,  New  York. 

No.  57.  Examples  of  financial  advertising  pam- 
phlet pages,  showing  titlepage,  composed  in 
Winchell  type,  and  the  use  of  architectural  detail 
for  page  decoration.  From  pamphlet  designed 
and  printed  by  The  Matthews-Northrup  Works, 
Buffalo. 

62 


PRINTING     AS    AN     ART  [Dipt.  C,  Nos.  58-65 

No.  58.  Examples  of  financial  advertising  pam- 
phlet pages,  composed  in  Cheltenham  type.  From 
pamphlet  printed  by  The  Cheltenham  Press, 
New  York. 

No.  59.  Examples  of  financial  advertising  pam- 
phlet pages,  showing  a  rubrication  from  pamphlet 
designed  and  printed  by  Robert  Grier  Cook, 
New  York. 

No.  60.  Pamphlet  pages,  showing  fastidious 
effect  produced  by  small  types  and  wide  margins. 
From  pamphlet*  prepared  by  James  Howard 
Kehler,  Chicago. 

No.  61.  Titlepage  of  prospectus. 

No.  62.  Pamphlet  pages,  showing  the  introduc- 
tion of  decorative  cut  for  heading.  From  pamphlet 
designed  and  printed  for  the  Windsor  Trust 
Company,  New  York,  by  the  Charlton  Press, 
New  York. 

No.  63.  Rubricated  title  and  text-page  of  illus- 
trated book,  designed  and  printed  by  Robert 
Grier  Cook,  New  York. 

No.  64.  Rubricated  circular,  in  which  the  illus- 
trations have  a  rich  color  effect,  due  to  the  double- 
tone  quality  of  the  ink  used.  Printed  by  The 
Wayside  Department,  The  University  Press, 
Cambridge. 

No.  65.  Pamphlet  titlepages.  A.  Composed  in 
Caslon  Old  Style,  showing  the  introduction,  of 
symbolic  device.  B,  Composed  in  French  Old 
Style  capitals.  From  pamphlets  printed  by  The 

63 


Dept.  C,  Nos.  66-72]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Wayside  Department  of  The  University  Press, 
Cambridge. 

No.  66.  Examples  of  rule  borders.  Designed  by 
Morgan  Shepard,  San  Francisco.  From  pamphlet 
printed  by  The  Stanley-Taylor  Company,  San 
Francisco. 

No.  67.  Examples  of  catalogue  typography  and 
illustration,  composed  in  Caslon  Old  Style  and 
Old  Style  Antique.  Designed  and  printed  by  The 
Southgate  Press,  Boston. 

No.  68.  Pamphlet  pages.  Designed  and  printed 
by  The  Cheltenham  Press,  New  York. 

No.  69.  Announcement  form,  showing  attractive 
typography  and  the  use  of  color.  Printed  by  The 
Wayside  Department  of  The  University  Press, 
Cambridge. 

No.  70.  Catalogue  titlepage,  showing  good  bal- 
ance of  typography  design  and  use  of  tint.  From 
catalogue  printed  by  The  Patteson  Press,  New 
York. 

No.  71.  A,  Introductory  page  in  which  the 
initial  gives  decoration  and  the  half-tone  shading 
blends  well  with  the  color  effect.  B.  Text  page, 
showing  the  decorative  treatment,  foreground, 
and  harmonious  adjustment  of  the  illustration  to 
the  page.  From  catalogue  designed  and  printed 
by  The  Binner-Wells  Company,  Chicago. 

No.  72.  Catalogue  pages,  showing  decorative 
treatment  of  headings  and  brilliancy  of  illustra- 
tion. Printed  by  The  Southgate  Press,  Boston. 

64      ^ 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  C,  Nos.  73-81 

No.  73.  Examples  of  make-up  of  illustrations 
in  text  pages.  From  "  Colorado,"  a  pamphlet 
printed  by  Rogers  &  Company,  Chicago,  for  the 
Burlington  Route. 

No.  74.  A,  Decorative  text  page  of  unusual 
daintiness  in  ornament  and  color  scheme.  B.  An 
excellent  solution  of  the  problem  of  combining 
illustrations,  title  lines,  and  text.  From  catalogue 
printed  by  the  Robert  Stillson  Company,  New 
York. 

No.  75.  Examples  of  pamphlet  typography  and 
decoration,  showing  the  reproduction  of  decora- 
tions in  half-tone.  Designed  and  printed  by  The 
Typographic  Department  of  The  Union  Bank 
Note  Company,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

No.  76.  Examples  of  decorative  titlepage  and 
illustration  with  tint  background.  From  cata- 
logue printed  by  The  Morrill  Press,  Fulton,  New 
York. 

No.  77.  Book  circular,  with  decorations  by 
Bertram  G.  Goodhue.  Printed  by  The  Univer- 
sity Press,  Cambridge. 

No.  78.  Pamphlet  pages,  composed  in  French 
Old  Style,  with  decorations  in  colors.  From 
pamphlet  printed  by  The  Southgate  Press,  Boston. 

No.  79.  Decorative  treatment  of  folder. 

No.  80.  Announcement  form,  with  designed 
border  and  showing  the  use  of  a  tint  background. 

No.  81.  Catalogue  cover,  showing  interesting 
rule  treatment  of  cover  design  and  simplicity  in 

65 


Dipt.  C,  Nos.  8x-89]      THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  PRINTING 

typographic  display.    Printed  by  D.  B.  Updike, 
The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  82.  Programme  folder,  showing  the  use  of 
borders  and  color.  Designed  and  printed  by  The 
Southgate  Press,  Boston. 

No.  83.  Catalogue  pages,  showing  the  intro- 
duction of  decorative  design  and  color.  From 
catalogue  printed  by  The  Southgate  Press,  Boston. 

No.  84.  Christmas  card,  printed  by  D.  B. 
Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  85.  Circular,  composed  in  Caslon  Old  Style, 
with  decorative  panel.  Printed  by  D.  B.  Updike, 
The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston. 

No.  86.  Rubricated  letter-heading.  Printed  by 
The  Heintzemann  Press,  Boston. 

No.  87.  Announcement  form,  composed  in 
Caslon  Old  Style  type,  in  panel  form  of  display. 
The  illustrations  printed  in  a  gray-black,  approx- 
imating the  original  drawing.  Printed  by  The 
Smith  &  Porter  Press,  Boston. 

No.  88.  Decorativetreatment  of  catalogue  pages. 
The  color  used  for  the  initial  and  borders  is  also 
used  as  an  underlying  tone  in  the  illustration. 
From  pamphlet  printed  by  The  Frank  Presby 
Company,  New  York. 

No.  89.  Music  titlepages  and  pamphlets,  show- 
ing the  introduction  of  decorative  details  and 
well-balanced  typography.  Printed  by  The 
Heintzemann  Press,  Boston. 

66 


ILLUSTRATIVE   PROCESSES 

The  processes  for  the  production  of  blocks  and  plates 
used  in  the  printing  press  are  three  in  number : 
(i)  Relief  Processes  ;  (2)  Intaglio  Processes ;  (3)  Piano- 
graphic  Processes. 

'The  Relief  Processes  produce  blocks  of  which  those 
parts  which  are  to  carry  the  printing  ink,  and  thus  are 
to  make  the  print,  are  left  standing  in  relief  above  the 
body  of  the  material  out  of  which  they  are  made,  while 
the  parts  which  are  to  show  white  in  the  printed  picture 
are  cut  away. 

Among  the  relief  processes  are  wood-engraving,  relief 
engraving  on  metal,  line  plate  etching,  half-tone  etching. 

fhe  Intaglio  Processes  produce  plates,  generally  of 
metal,  in  which  the  parts  that  are  to  carry  the  printing 
ink  are  cut  in  or  etched,  so  that  they  form  depressions, 
while  those  parts  which  are  to  show  white  in  the  printed 
picture  are  left  standing.  Such  a  plate  is  inked  so  as 
to  fill  the  intagliated  parts  with  the  ink,  and  after  the 
surface  has  been  cleaned  to  remove  all  superfluous  ink, 
the  impression  is  taken  by  pressing  against  it  a  piece 
of  paper  or  other  suitable  material. 

Among  the  intaglio  processes  are  copper  and  steel 
plate  engraving,  copper  plate  etching,  dry  point  en- 
graving, mezzotint  engraving,  aquatint  engraving,  and 
photogravure. 

'The  Planographic  Processes  use  printing  surfaces  that 
are,  essentially  at  least,  flat.  The  designs  produced  upon 
these  surfaces  accept  the  printing  ink,  whereas  those 
parts  which  are  to  show  white  in  the  printed  picture 
refuse  it,  —  the  antagonistic  properties  of  grease  and 
water  governing  the  process.  The  materials  used  as 
printing  surfaces  in  the  older  planographic  processes 

(>7 


Dipt.  D,  Nos.  1-2]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

are  stone  (lithography)  or  metal,  commonly  zinc  (zin- 
cography). To  these  materials  the  photo-mechanical 
processes  have  added  glutinous  substances  (collo- 
graphic  or  photogelatine  processes).  Aluminum  is  also 
employed  to  some  extent  as  a  substitute  for  lithographic 
stone. 

(i)  RELIEF   PROCESSES 

Wood-cutting  (and  Relief  Engraving  on  Metal) 

Printing  from  relief  blocks  cut  or  engraved  for  the 
purpose  seems  to  be  the  oldest  method  applied  to 
the  production  of  pictures  by  mechanical  means.  The 
oldest  dated  pictures  printed  from  relief  blocks,  so  far 
known,  are  the  "Virgin"  of  141 8,  in  the  Brussels 
Cabinet,  and  the  "St.  Christopher"  of  1423,  in  the 
Rylands  Library  of  Manchester,  England.  As  a  rule 
these  blocks,  from  the  beginnings  of  the  art  to  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  were  executed  on  wood  — 
such  as  cherry,  pear,  etc.,  and  in  later  times  boxwood 
—  cut  in  the  direction  of  the  fibre,  that  is  to  say,  on 
planks.  The  tools  used  were  knives.  The  aim  of  these 
woodf«/j,  properly  so  called,  was  the  reproduction  of 
designs  in  black  lines  on  a  light  ground,  or,  in  other 
words,  of  drawings  in  lines.  The  drawings  were  usually 
executed  upon  the  plank  in  pen  and  ink,  or  sometimes 
on  thin  paper,  which  was  pasted  on  the  wood  face  down- 
ward, and  the  task  of  the  wood-cutter  was  confined  to 
the  cutting  away  of  the  wood  between  the  lines  of  the 
drawing.  Sometimes  relief  blocks  were  executed  also 
on  metal,  in  which  case  gravers  were  used  instead  of 
knives. 

No.  I.  Old  black-line  relief  block  cut  on  a  plank. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  2.  Impression  from  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  i. 

68 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dipt.  D,  Nos.  3-4 

No.  3.  Ecce  Homo.  Facsimile  reproduction  of 
Durer's  engraving  on  wood. 

U^ood-engraving  —  Old  White-line  Work 

The  natural  result  of  the  graver  when  used  for  the 
production  of  relief  blocks  is  a  white  line.  The  graver 
removes  the  wood  along  its  path.  If,  after  a  line  with 
the  graver  has  thus  been  cut,  the  surface  of  the  block 
is  inked  it  prints  black,  while  the  line,  being  free  from 
ink,  shows  white.  The  white  line  forms  the  starting- 
point  of  modern  wood-engraving. 

No.  4.  Example  of  w^hite-line  vv^ork. 

Modern  Wood-engraving 

The  "^ood-cutter  worked  with  knives  on  planks.  The 
modern  wood-^^^r^'y^r  works  with  gravers  and  similar 
tools  on  wood  across  the  grain  (Dept.  D,  No.  6).  The 
old  black-line  woodcuts  are  essentially  facsimiles  of 
drawings.  With  the  introduction  of  modern  wood- 
engraving  the  white-line  came  into  use,  it  being  the 
natural  result  of  the  graver  when  used  for  the  produc- 
tion of  relief  blocks.  Furthermore,  the  white-line  led 
to  the  development  of  tint  engraving  to  render  the 
gradation  of  shades  between  black  and  white.  While, 
therefore,  the  old  ^ood-cutter  had  only  one  resource, 
the  black  line,  the  modern  wood-engraver  has  three,  — 
the  black  line,  the  white  line,  and  tints  in  infinite  variety. 
The  introduction  of  the  graver  and  of  wood  cut  across 
the  grain  (Dept.  D,  No.  6)  and  of  their  result,  the  white 
Hne,  is  generally  credited  to  Thomas  Bewick  (b.  1753, 
d.  1828),  who  was  the  first  to  make  extended  use  of 
these  means.  With  the  introduction  of  the  white  line, 
the  methods  of  placing  the  design  on  the  block  also 
underwent  a  change.  The  drawings  in  line  were  first 
superseded  by  wash  drawings,  and  these  by  photographs 
on  the  wood  (Dept.  D,  No.  8). 

69 


DxpT.  D,  Nos.  5-i6]  THE   DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  5.  Example  of  wood-engraving  by  Thomas 
Bewick. 

No.  6.  Boxwood  block  (cut  across  the  grain). 

No.  7.  A  photograph  after  portrait  by  Sargent. 

No.  8.  Photograph  (Dept.  D,  No.  7)  on  the 
wood. 

No.  9.  Engraved  block  (incised  lines  filled  with 
chalk).  Engraved  by  T.H.  Heard  after  an  etching 
by  Mielatz. 

No.  10.  Proof  of  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  9. 

No.  II.  Original  drawing  on  wood  by  Francis 
Lathrop  (formerly  the  engraver  would  cut  directly 
through  the  original  drawing,  but  in  this  case  it 
was  preserved  by  re-photographing  on  another 
block). 

No.  12.  Proof  of  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  11. 

Nos.  13-16.   Proofs  by  Timothy  Cole. 

No.  13.  John  Bellini  —  Old  Italian  Masters  — 
"  Madonna  and  Child." 

No.  14.  Rubens  —  Old  Dutch  and  Flemish 
Masters  - —  "  Jacqueline  de  Castres." 

No.  15.  Constable  —  Old  English  Masters  — 
"The  Cornfield." 

No.  16.  Velasquez  —  Old  Spanish  Masters  — 
Portrait,  Head  of  a  Man. 

Nos.  6-16  lent  by  The  Century  Co,^  New  York. 

70 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dkpt.  D,  Nos.  ly-zi 

No.  17.  Photograph  from  fresco  and  pencil  sketch 
from  same,  made  by  Timothy  Cole,  showing  his 
method  of  working. 

Lent  by  Mrs,  John  E,  Devlin. 

Wood-engraving — Mechanical  Work 

Xhe  ruling  machine,  a  comparatively  recent  inven- 
tion, is  largely  used  for  engraving  straight  and  waved 
lines,  radiating  lines,  circles,  etc. 

No.  18.  Exhibit  of  the  various  kinds  of  work 
executed  by  the  ruling  machine. 

No.  ig.  Original  photograph  and  retouched  pho- 
tograph of  machine. 

No.  20.  Proof  of  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  19. 

No.  21.  Proof  from  a  half-tone  relief  plate  of 
same  subject  (Dept.  D,  No.  19)  for  comparison. 

Line  Plate  (Relief  Etching)  Process 

Xhe  simplest  method  of  producing  blocks  printable  in 
the  type  press  without  engraving  by  hand  is  to  etch  on 
zinc  or  copper  the  lines  and  dots  composing  the  design, 
in  relief.  In  this  the  metal  around  the  lines  is  bitten 
away  with  a  mordant,  the  lines  being  protected  with  a 
composition  capable  of  resisting  acid.  Gillet  of  Paris, 
who  took  out  a  patent  in  1850,  was  the  first  commer- 
cially successful  operator.  The  image  may  be  either 
drawn  by  hand  direct  on  the  metal,  or  transferred  from 
a  prepared  paper  on  which  the  image  is  drawn  in  a 
fatty  ink  (transfer  ink),  or  transferred  from  another 
metal  plate  or  stone  by  means  of  impressions  made 
with  transfer  ink,  or  photo-mechanically.  The  photo- 
mechanical process  is  generally  employed,  and  may  be 
briefly  described  as  follows  : 

71 


Dkpt.  D,  No8.  22-27]  THE     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

A  zinc  or  copper  plate,  highly  polished,  is  coated  with 
asphaltum  or  with  albumen  mixed  with  a  bichromate 
and  exposed  to  light  under  a  reversed  black  and  white 
negative  (Dept.  D,  No.  23)  made  from  the  drawing 
to  be  reproduced  (Dept.  D,  No.  22).  After  exposure 
it  is  washed  with  a  suitable  solvent,  which  removes  the 
unchanged  part  of  the  coating,  leaving  the  Hnes  of  the 
design  upon  the  plate  in  hardened  asphaltum  or  albumen 
(Dept.  D,  No.  24).  It  is  then  etched  in  an  acid  bath 
(Dept.  D,  No.  25).  The  plate  is  next  trimmed  to  re- 
move imperfections,  and  mounted  type  high  on  a  wood 
block  (Dept.  D,  No.  26). 

No.  22.  Original  drawing  by  Will  Bradley. 

No.  23.  Negative  from  drawing,  Dept.  D,  No. 
22. 

No.  24.  Transfer  on  zinc  from  negative,  Dept. 
D,  No.  23. 

No.  25.  Transfer  on  zinc  (Dept.  D,  No.  24) 
etched  only. 

No.  26.  Transfer  on  zinc  (Dept.  D,  No.  24) 
trimmed  and  mounted. 

No.  27.  Proof  from  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  26. 

Nos,  2j-2y  from  Massachusetts  Engraving  Co.^  Boston, 

The  Line  Plate  (Relief)  Processes  Applied  to 
Color^rinting 

The  specimens  shown  illustrate  the  method  of  making 
prints  in  colors.  For  the  print  in  colors  (Dept  D,  No. 
32)  the  drawing  which  served  as  an  original  (Dept. 
D,  No.  28)  was  reproduced  in  three  printings.  In  the 
making  of  the  color  blocks  the  negative  of  the  drawing 
serves  merely  as  a  guide,  or  key,  for  etching  and  cutting 
the  colors  required.  Each  color  requires  a  separate  plate 

72 


PRINTING    AS     AN     ART  [Dipt.  D,  Nos.  28-32 

(Dept.  D,  No.  29).  The  guide  or  key  may  be  printed 
thereon  in  the  same  manner  as  previously  described 
(Dept.  D,  No.  24)5  or  after  the  key  or  black  plate  is 
etched  the  drawing  may  be  transferred  to  separate 
plates.  Those  portions  of  the  plate  which  are  required 
to  print  in  color  are  drawn  or  inked  in  by  hand 
(Dept.  D,  No.  30)5  and  the  lines  not  desired  either 
scraped  off  the  plate  or  routed  off  in  the  routing 
machine.  To  produce  other  than  solid  tones,  grained 
zinc  is  sometimes  used  and  the  drawing  made  thereon 
with  a  specially  prepared  fatty  crayon.  Usually,  how- 
ever, the  grain  is  made  on  the  metal  after  the  drawing 
has  been  transferred.  This  is  done  by  dusting  powdered 
asphaltum  on  the  plate  and  subjecting  the  plate  to  a 
sufficient  amount  of  heat  to  partially  melt  the  asphaltum 
particles  to  make  them  adhere.  The  plates  are  then 
etched,  trimmed,  and  mounted  on  wood  blocks  (Dept. 
D,  No.  31)  and  printed  in  the  required  colors  (Dept. 
D,  No.  32). 

No.  28.  Original  drawing  of  decorative  panel 
by  Will  Jenkins. 

No.  29.  Three  transfers  to  zinc  from  drawing, 
Dept.  D,  No.  28. 

No.  30.  Three  transfers  to  zinc  from  drawing 
(Dept.  D,  No.  28),  two  of  which  have  colors  filled 
in  on  plate. 

No.  31.  The  three  etched  plates  from  transfers 
(Dept.  D,  No.  30),  mounted  on  wood. 

No.  32.  Progressive  proofs  from  plates,  Dept.  D, 
No.  31. 

Nos,  2p-j2/rom  Suffolk  Engraving  &  Electrotyping  Co.^  Boston, 

73 


Dipt.  D,  Nos.  33-40]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Half-tone  Relief  Plates 

Xhe  aim  of  this  photo-mechanical  process  is  to  con- 
vert a  photograph  from  nature  or  from  a  painting  into 
a  printable  block  or  plate  without  the  intervention  of 
designer  or  engraver.  It  is  self-evident  that  in  order  to 
be  able  to  produce  a  "  half-tone  "  block  the  flat  and 
gradated  tints  must  be  broken  up  into  corresponding 
masses  of  lines  and  dots.  This  is  done  by  the  interposi- 
tion of  a  lined  or  grained  "  screen  "  between  the  sensi- 
tive plate  in  the  camera  and  the  original  to  be  copied. 
To  make  a  screen,  two  perfect  plates  of  glass  are  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  film  of  opaque  ground.  Then  by  means 
of  a  diamond  in  an  automatically  governed  ruling 
machine  lines  are  drawn  diagonally  across  each  plate  in 
one  direction,  just  removing  the  "  ground."  The  glass 
plates  are  then  etched  with  fluoric  acid,  the  ground 
removed,  and  the  bitten  lines  are  niellated  (blackened) 
and  polished.  These  two  plates  are  then  joined  face  to 
face,  so  placed  that  the  diagonal  lines  cross.  The  lines 
on  the  screens  are  ruled  at  varying  distances  apart.  The 
usual  screen  employed  by  engravers  of  to-day  measures 
150  lines  to  the  inch;  its  printing  quality  upon  the 
average  coated  paper  is  generally  conceded  to  give  the 
best  results.  Finer  screens  than  150  give  more  detail 
but  less  brilliancy,  and  coarser  than  1 50  less  detail  and 
more  brilliancy.  Light  can  pass  only  through  the  innu- 
merable minute  white  squares  of  such  a  screen.  It  is 
placed  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  before  the  negative 
in  the  camera,  and  the  object  is  photographed  through 
the  screen.  Consequently  the  negative  (Dept.  D,  No. 
25)  is  broken  up  into  a  great  number  of  minute  squares, 
which  are  stronger  or  weaker  as  the  corresponding  por- 
tions of  the  original  object  were  lighter  or  darker.  This 
'  negative  is  placed  in  contact  with  a  polished  sensitized 
copper  (or  zinc)  plate  and  exposed  to  light  (Dept.  D, 
No.  2^6),  The  copper  positive  is  further  developed  and 

74 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  D,  Nos.  33-40 

etched  (Dept.  D,  No.  37)  in  an  acid  bath,  and  mounted 
on  wood  block. 

No.  33.  A  print  of  screens  varying  from  65  to 
200  lines  to  the  inch. 

One  Color  (150  Screen) 

No.  34.  Photograph  from  Sargent's  "Prophets." 

Lent  by  Curtis  dsf  Cameron, 

No.  35.  Negative  from  photograph,  Dept.  D, 
No.  34. 

No.  36.  Transfer    on    copper    from    negative, 

Dept.   D,  No.  35. 

No.  37.  Transfer  (Dept.  D,  No.  36),  etched. 

No.  38.  Plate  (Dept.  D,  No.  36  ),  finished  and 
blocked. 

No.  39.  Proof  from  block,  Dept.  D,  No.  38. 

■^*^«  35^39  fr'^^  "James  S.  Conant  Co,^  Boston, 

All  half-tone  plates  are  lowered  in  tone  like  photo- 
graphs. No  absolute  white  can  be  produced,  as  the 
vestiges  of  the  screen  do  not  vanish  completely.  This 
drawback  is  partially  remedied  by  re-etching  and  en- 
graving by  hand  such  portions  of  the  plate  as  require 
to  be  lightened  and  burnishing  those  parts  which  should 
be  darkened.  Dept.  D,  No.  40  shows  a  print  from  a 
half-tone  plate  re-etched  and  engraved. 

No.  40.  Proof  of  half-tone  engraving  re-etched 
and  engraved,  reproduced  from  drawing  by  Karl 
Anderson. 

Lent  by  John  Andrew  ^  Son^  Boston, 

7S 


Dept.  D,  Nos.  41-44]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Half-tone  Copper  Relief  Plate  Supplemented  with 
Zinc  Color  Plate 

Xhe  half-tone  plate  Is  prepared  as  above  stated,  and 
the  color  plate  as  described  under  Line  Plate  Processes 
Applied  to  Color  Printing. 

No.  41.  Pastel    drav^ing  with  colored  tint,  by 
Charlotte  Weber. 

No.  42.  Progressive  proofs   from   blocks  made 
from  drawing,  Dept.  D,  No.  41. 

Halftone  Process  (Duotint) 

Two  plates  employed 

In  this  process  of  reproduction  two  negatives  are  made 
of  the  original,  the  half-tone  screen  on  each  being  placed 
at  a  slightly  different  angle.  Both  plates  are  usually 
printed  in  the  same  color,  but  one  lighter  in  tone  than 
the  other.  Richer  and  softer  effects  are  obtainable  by 
this  process  than  by  the  single  half-tone  plate. 

No.  43.  Screens  shown  on  large  scale. 

No.  44.  Progressive  proofs  from  blocks  made  by 
half-tone  duotint  process. 

Halftone  Relief  Process  (^hree-color  Process) 

This  is  a  photo-mechanical  half-tone  process  for  repro- 
ducing in  three  colors  —  yellow,  red,  and  blue  —  all  the 
colors  which  may  be  in  an  original  painting  or  other 
object,  and  is  based  upon  the  theory  that  all  colors  are 
formed  of  yellow,  red,  and  blue.  It  is  first  necessary 
to  prepare  negatives,  one  from  which  the  plate  to  print 
yellow  is  made.  This  is  done  by  specially  sensitizing 
the  collodion  film  and  by  placing  between  the  picture 
and  the  lens  a  colored  filter  which  neutralizes  all  the 
colors  but  the  yellow  in  the  picture.  (A  filter  is  a  piece 

76 


PRINTING    AS    AN     ART  [Dept.  D,  Nos.  45-49 

of  colored  glass,  colored  gelatine  on  glass,  or  colored 
liquid  between  two  pieces  of  glass.)  For  the  red  plate 
the  filter  neutralizes  the  blues  and  yellows,  and  for  the 
blue  plate  the  yellows  and  reds.  Half-tone  plates  are 
prepared  in  the  usual  manner.  (See  Half-tone  Relief 
Plates.)  The  usual  sequence  of  printing  the  plates  is 
first  yellow,  then  red,  and  lastly  blue. 

No.  45.  Original  drawing.  **  Design  for  Church 
Window.'' 

No.  46.  Three  negatives,  with  color  filters,  from 
drawing,  Dept.  D,  No.  45. 

No.  47.  Three   finished    half-tone   plates   from 
negatives,  Dept.  D,  No.  46. 

No.  48.  Progressive  proofs  from  plates,  Dept.  D, 

No.  47. 

Nos,  /j.^— ^8  from  The  Sparrell  Print^  Boston. 

Half-tone  Relief  Process  (Four-color  Process) 

In  three-color  printing  every  part  of  the  picture  is 
composed  by  three  colors,  and  if  one  of  them  lacks  in- 
tensity, the  character  of  the  picture  is  impaired.  Colors 
become  incorrect  and  grays  are  rendered  violet  or 
brown.  Large  surfaces  such  as  backgrounds  often  have 
a  mottled  and  crude  appearance,  due  to  the  imperfec- 
tions of  the  working  materials  and  uneven  distribution 
of  color.  To  overcome  these  defects  a  fourth  printing 
plate  is  employed.  Properly  retouched  and  printed  in 
a  neutral  gray  or  black,  this  plate  increases  the  depth 
of  the  shadows  and  produces  a  harmonious  color  effect. 

No.  49.  Progressive  proofs   of  four-color    pro- 
cess print.  Plot's  "  Youth." 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

77 


Dept.  D,  Nos.  50-59]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

(2)  INTAGLIO    PROCESSES 
Copper  Plate  Engraving 

No.  50.  One  illustration  of  the  German  School, 

XVI  century. 

No.  51.  Four  illustrations  of  the  French  School, 
XVIII  century. 

Dry  Point  Engraving 

No.  52.  Portrait. 

Aquatint  Engraving 

No.  53.  Landscape  by  Brunet-Debaines. 

Soft  Ground  Engraving 
No.  54.  Rouen. 

Copper  Plate  Etching 

No.  55.  Threeillustrationsof  the  Dutch  School, 

XVII  century. 

No.  56.  Portrait,  "Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,"  en- 
graved by  W.  H.  W.  Bicknell.  See  Dept.  D,  No. 
60,  for  reproduction  by  photogravure  process. 

Lent  by  A,  W,  Elson  &  Co,^  Boston, 

Steel  Plate  Engraving 
No.  57.  Engraved  half-title. 
No.  58.  Portrait  in  line  and  stipple. 

Mezzotint  Engraving 

No.  59.  Reynold's  "Infant  Samuel.'*  Engraved 
by  Thomas  Lupton,  1822. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

78 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  D,  Nos.  60-67 

Photogravure  Process 

No.  60.  Portrait,  "  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,"  re- 
produced from  copper  plate  etching,  Dept  D, 
No.  56. 

Lent  by  J,  W.  Els  on  &  Co.^  Boston. 

(3)  PLANOGRAPHIC    PROCESSES 
Lithography 

No.  61.  Print  from  pen  drawing  on  polished 
stone. 

Lent  by  The  Heltotype  Co.^  Boston, 

No.  62.  Print  from  crayon  drawing  on  grained 
stone. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

No.  63.  Print  from  engraving  on  stone.  (This 
is  actually  an  intaglio  process  print,  though 
placed  among  the  planographic  processes  for 
convenience.) 

Lent  by  The  Heliotype  Co.^  Boston. 

No.  64.  Pen-and-ink  drawing  by  Walter  Camp- 
bell. 

No.  65.  Photo-lithographic  reproduction  of 
drawing,  Dept.  D,  No.  64. 

Lent  by  Walter  Campbell,^  Boston. 

No.  66.  Photo-lithography  in  color.  Progressive 
proofs  of  "Columbia's  Courtship,"  by  L.  Prang 
&  Co. 

No.  67.  Photo-lithography  in  color.  Reproduc- 
tion of  painting  by  Robert  Blum. 

79 


Dipt.  D,  Nos.  68-74]     THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  PRINTING 

No.  68.  Example  of  chromo-lithography.  Re- 
production of  painting  by  E.  A.  Abbey. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 
Photo-gelatine  Process 

(Heliotype,  Albertype,  Autoglyph,  Collotype) 

No.  69.  A  photograph. 

No.  70.  Reproduction  of  photograph,  Dept.  D, 

No.  69. 

No.  71.  Photo-gelatine  print  direct  from  origi- 
nal negative. 

No.  72.  Reproduction  of  engraving  in  line. 

No.  73.  Three-color  photo-gelatine  print,  sup- 
plemented with  black  print  from  lithographic 
stone. 

Nos,  6g-yj  from  The  Heliotype  Co.^  Boston. 

Heliochrome  Process 

No.  74.  Trinity  Church,  Boston.  Progressive 
proofs.  The  colored  tints  vi^ere  printed  from 
lithographic  stone,  and  the  black  gelatine  print 
printed  over  it. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

(  Further  information  regarding  Illustrative  Processes  may  be  obtained 
from  books  on  the  subject  at  the  Boston  Public  Library  and  the  Print 
Room  of  the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts.) 


80 


PAPER  AND   PAPER-MAKING 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  exhibit  to  cover  the  tech- 
nical side  of  this  subject,  but  merely  to  give  some  idea 
of  the  kinds  of  paper  in  use  to-day  for  printing  pur- 
poses, and  to  illustrate  in  a  general  way  the  process  by 
which  it  is  manufactured. 

The  first  paper  of  the  sort  familiar  to  us  (from  fibrous 
matter  reduced  to  a  pulp)  was  made  by  the  Chinese,  in 
the  second  century  b.  c,  from  the  bark  of  the  mulberry 
tree.  The  branches  of  the  tree  were  first  boiled  in  lye 
to  remove  the  bark.  Then  followed  maceration  in  water 
for  several  days,  after  which  the  outer  part  of  the  bark 
was  scraped  off  and  the  inner  part  boiled  in  lye  until 
separated  into  fibres.  These  were  washed  in  a  pan  or 
sieve,  then  worked  by  hand  into  pulp  which  was  spread 
on  a  table  and  beaten  fine  with  a  mallet.  The  pulp  thus 
obtained  was  placed  in  a  tub  containing  an  infusion  of 
rice  and  a  root  called  "  Oveni "  and  thoroughly  stirred, 
to  mix  the  materials. 

The  sheets  were  formed  by  dipping  a  mould,  made 
of  strips  of  bulrushes  confined  in  a  frame,  into  the  vat 
containing  the  pulp.  The  sheets  were  then  placed  one 
above  another  between  rushes,  weights  were  applied  to 
press  them,  and  they  were  afterward  thoroughly  dried 
in  the  sun. 

While  the  Chinese  methods  of  producing  paper  and 
the  product  itself  were  of  the  crudest,  yet  the  principles 
involved  have  continued  even  to  the  present  day, 
though  finer  materials  and  improved  processes  have 
made  possible  the  beautiful  sheets  of  hand-made  paper 
with  which  we  are  familiar.  A  limited  quantity  is  still 
made  for  De  Luxe  editions  of  fine  books,  note-paper, 
etc.,  yet  the  process  is  so  laborious  and  expensive  as  to 
preclude  its  use  for  general  commercial  purposes. 

8i 


Dept.  E,  Nos.  1-2]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Though  the  Chinese  claim  the  invention  as  early  as 
B.C.  123,  the  substance  did  not  become  known  to 
Europe  until  the  period  following  the  conquest  of 
Samarkand  by  the  Arabs  (712  a.  d.).  One  of  the  ear- 
liest extant  paper  manuscripts,  now  in  the  Royal 
Library  in  Paris,  bears  the  date  1050.  In  1085  there 
was  a  paper  mill  in  Toledo,  Spain.  In  1221  Frederick 
II.  of  Germany,  on  account  of  the  bad  quahty  of  paper, 
issued  an  order  nullifying  all  public  acts  which  should 
be  upon  cotton  paper,  allowing  two  years  to  transcribe 
upon  parchment  all  such  as  then  existed.  In  1276  there 
was  a  paper  mill  at  Fabriano,  in  Northern  Italy,  which  is 
still  in  operation.  In  1325,  a  century  before  Gutenberg, 
there  was  a  paper  mill  in  Mainz.  In  1333  the  practice 
began  of  placing  water  marks  in  paper  to  distinguish 
the  maker,  showing  that  even  at  that  early  date  there 
was  some  competition  in  the  industry. 

The  increasing  demand  for  paper  and  the  lack  of 
adequate  facilities  for  meeting  it  culminated  in  the  in- 
vention in  England,  in  1804,  by  Henry  and  Seeley 
Fourdrinier,  of  a  machine  for  the  making  of  paper  in 
a  continuous  web,  and  the  paper  machines  of  to-day, 
though  greatly  improved,  are  still  called  Fourdrinier 
machines. 

The  earliest  examples  of  paper  available  for  this  exhi- 
bition are  taken  from  a  collection  of  old  papers,  the 
property  of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  the  date  assigned 
to  the  first  being  1340. 

No.  X,  Specimen  of  Italian  paper  made  about 
1340.  It  is  a  rather  coarse,  thick  substance,  with 
a  crudely  drawn  water  mark  of  a  bull's  head  with 
the  horns  raised  perpendicularly. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  2.  Paper  made  about  1401.  The  wire  marks 
in  this  specimen   are   less   noticeable,  giving   a 


PRINTING    AS     AN    ART  [Dept.  E,  Nos.  3-5 

better  surface   for  writing.    The  water  mark  is 
a  unicorn. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  3.  Italian  paper  made  about  1509.  This 
specimen  is  thinner  than  the  others,  undoubtedly 
due  to  the  influence  of  printing. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  4.  Paper  made  about  1556.  The  wire 
marks  in  this  paper  have  been  made  still  finer  in 
the  endeavor  to  make  a  smoother  paper  with  a 
better  printing  surface.  The  water  mark  is  a  hand 
and  a  cross,  drawn  very  simply,  yet  showing 
far  greater  care  in  execution  than  the  previous 
examples. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  5.  Paper  made  about  1575.  The  water 
marks  from  this  time  on  become  very  much 
more  elaborate  and  confused.  The  water  mark 
in  this  paper  is  a  spread  eagle. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

In  1690  William  Rittinghuysen,  a  native  of  Broich, 
Holland,  with  'William  Bradford,  the  printer,  estab- 
lished the  first  mill  in  America,  in  Roxborough,  near 
Philadelphia.  In  1730  the  first  mill  in  New  England 
went  into  operation,  in  Milton,  Mass. 

In  175 1,  owing  to  the  limited  supply  of  rags,  sundry 
experiments  were  made  to  find  a  substitute.  M.  Guet- 
tard  showed  that  paper  could  be  made  from  bark, 
leaves,  wood,  etc.,  yet  more  than  a  hundred  years 
elapsed  before  this  was  done  upon  a  commercial  basis. 

In  1757  a  new  kind  of  paper  was  introduced  called 
"  papier  velin  "  (paper  like  parchment).   It  afterwards 

83 


Dept.  E,  No8.  6-8]  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

became  known  as  "  wove  paper  "  because  it  was  made 
upon  a  woven  wire  mould,  a  name  distinguishing  it 
from  "laid  paper,"  made  on  a  mould  in  which  the 
wires  are  laid  in  parallel  columns. 

The  paper  used  in  the  Vergil  printed  by  Baskerville 
which  is  exhibited  in  Dept.  A,  No.  i6,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  wove  paper  made. 

In  1776,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  paper,  the  Massa- 
chusetts House  of  Representatives  resolved  that  the 
committee  of  correspondence  in  the  several  towns  be 
required  to  appoint  suitable  persons  to  receive  rags  for 
the  paper  mills,  and  the  inhabitants  asked  to  be  careful 
to  save  even  the  smallest  quantity  of  rags  suitable  for 
making  paper. 

No.  6.  A  Sermon  which  required  one  hour  to 
deliver,  closely  written  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
of  paper.  Written  in  1775. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

No.  7.  Another  Sermon,  written  fifteen  years 
later,  showing  that  the  scarcity  still  existed. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

In  1802  a  patent  was  secured  in  England  by  W.  Plus 
for  a  mode  of  coloring  paper  which  consisted  in  mixing 
with  the  pulp  snuff,  bran,  hay,  and  any  substance  pos- 
sessing the  color  which  was  desired  to  be  imparted  to 
the  paper. 

No.  8.  Cover  paper  in  use  in  1807,  evidently 
colored  by  the  Plus  method. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

In  1785  chlorine  was  discovered  as  an  agent  for 
bleaching.  In  1790  the  practice  began  of  putting  blu- 
ing into  the  pulp  to  make  white  paper.  Examples  of 

84 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dsft. E,  Nos.  9-10 

paper  made  about  this  time  show  a  distinct  deteriora- 
tion in  quality  as  a  result  of  inexperience  with  the  use 
of  these  new  methods. 

No.  9.  Example  of  paper  made  about  1796 
showing  the  blue-white  color. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers. 

In  1799  Louis  Roberts,  at  the  mill  of  Fran9ois  Didot 
in  France,  succeeded  in  building  a  device  upon  which 
paper  could  be  made  in  a  continuous  sheet.  In  1804 
Henry  and  Seeley  Fourdrinier,  of  London,  purchased 
the  patents  of  Roberts  and  Didot  and  erected  a  mill  at 
Boxmoor.  They  expended  large  sums  and  the  venture 
proved  a  financial  failure,  yet  it  is  this  type  of  machine 
that  is  now  most  used  in  making  paper. 

The  next  twenty-five  years  form  an  interesting  period 
in  the  development  of  paper-making.  The  paper 
machine  was  very  imperfect,  and  required  constant 
manipulation  and  much  patience  to  keep  the  pulp  flow- 
ing in  a  uniform  manner.  The  manufacturers  of  hand- 
made paper,  on  the  contrary,  had  become  so  skilful 
that  the  movements  of  each  workman  was  almost 
mechanical.  Strangely  enough  it  is  now  almost  impos- 
sible to  tell  whether  some  of  the  paper  made  at  this 
time  was  by  hand  or  by  machine.  It  was  not  until 
May  20,  1822,  that  the  Parliamentary  papers  of  the 
English  House  of  Commons  appear  on  paper  made  by 
machinery.  The  change  was  evidently  not  popular, 
for  the  next  three  volumes  are  printed  on  hand-made 
paper,  and  for  a  number  of  years  after  that  reports  of 
special  committees  were  printed  upon  paper  made  by 
the  old  method. 

No.  10.  Vol.  5,  Parliamentary  Papers,  May  20, 
1822.  The  left-hand  page  is  printed  upon  hand- 
made paper,  the  right-hand  page  upon  machine- 

85 


I 


Dept.  E,  Nos.  II-I3]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

made  paper.  It  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  two 
except  by  the  feeHng  and  by  the  fact  that  the 
right-hand  page  bears  no  water  mark. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

In  1830  Thomas  Barratt,  an  English  paper  maker, 
obtained  a  patent  for  inserting  a  water  mark  in  paper 
madfe  by  machinery,  and  the  next  year  Jean  Jaques 
Jaquire  obtained  a  patent  for  making  laid  paper  by 
machinery. 

In  1832  Jarvis  and  French  of  Tompkins  Co.,  New 
York,  invented  a  mode  of  pressing  paper  by  passing 
it  between  hollow  metallic  rollers. 

No.  II.  Copy  of  Homer's  Iliad  published  in 
1 84 1  by  Pickering,  showing  smoother  finish  of 
paper. 

Lent  by  a  Member  of  The  Society  of  Printers, 

Space  does  not  permit  mention  of  the  many  inventions 
made  at  this  time  to  convert  wood  into  paper  pulp, 
the  most  important  being  between  1847  ^"^  1887. 
Before  the  end  of  the  Civil  War  wood  pulp  began  to 
be  used  for  the  daily  newspaper.  At  first  it  was  mixed 
in  very  small  quantities  with  the  rag  pulp. 

No.  12.  Copy  of  The  Boston  Journal  printed  in 
i860  upon  rag  paper. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library, 

No.  13.  Copy  of  The  Boston  Journal  printed  in 
1870  upon  wood  paper. 

Lent  by  the  Boston  Public  Library. 

Modern  printing  paper  is  of  almost  infinite  variety. 
It  can  be  divided,  however,  into  two  classes,  hand-made 
and  machine-made.  Of  the  former  comparatively  little 
is  used  except  for  small  special  editions ;  of  machine- 

86 


PRINTING    AS    AN    ART  [Dept.  E,  Nos.  14-28 

made  paper  there  are  six  common  finishes^  beginning 
with  the  roughest  and  ending  with  the  smoothest, — 
they  are  as  follows  :  Antique,  Machine,  English,  Super- 
calendered,  Cameo,  Coated.  These  are  commonly  made 
in  white,  natural,  and  deep  cream  (India  tint). 

No.  14.  Sample  of  laid  hand-made  paper. 

No.  15.  Sample  of  wove  hand-made  paper. 

No.  16.  Sample  of  antique  laid  paper. 

No.  17.  Sample  of  antique  wove  paper.  See  also 
paper  used  for  the  body  of  this  Handbook.   * 

No.  18.  Sample  of  machine  finish  paper. 

No.  19.  Sample  of  supercalendered  paper. 

No.  20.  Sample  of  English  finish  paper. 

No.  21.  Sample  of  cameo  plate  paper. 

No.  22.  Sample  of  coated  or  enamelled  book 
paper. 

No.  23.  Sample    of   antique    wove    India    tint 
paper. 

No.  24.  Sample  of  cover  hand-made  paper.  See 
also  cover  of  this  Handbook. 

No.  25.  Sample  of  cover  machine-made  paper. 

No.  26.  Old-time  mills.  Capacity,  i, coo  pounds 
daily.   Hands  employed,  about  lOO. 

No.  27.  Mould  for  making  paper  by  hand. 

No.  28.  Pictures: 

A,  Sorting  rags. 

B,  Making  sheets  by  hand. 

C,  Drying  hand-made  sheets. 

D,  Old-time  beater. 

87 


Dkpt.  E,  No8.  29-31I  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

No.  29.  Modern  paper  mills.  Capacity,  over  100 
tons  daily.   Hands  employed,  about  1,000. 

No.  30.  Pictures: 

A,  Poplar  wood  pile. 

B,  Rags  for  making  paper  as  they  arrive  at  the  mill. 
C  A  Beater.  The  rags,  wood  fibre,  coloring  material, 

sizing,  etc.,  are  mixed  in  this  oval  tank,  in  which  re- 
volves a  cylindrical  "  roll,"  provided  with  radial  "  bars  " 
or  knives.  These  knives  tear  and  reduce  the  stock  to 
a  fine  pulp,  preparing  it  for  the  principal  operation  — 
that  of  forming  the  sheet. 

Z).  An  up-to-date  paper-making  machine,  width  145 
inches,  capable  of  making  a  web  of  paper  11%  feet  wide 
with  a  product  of  about  25  tons  per  day. 

E.  Another  view  of  a  paper  machine. 

F.  Paper  cutters. 

G.  Supercalenders. 

No.  31.  Samples  showing  different  stages  in  the 
reduction  of  linen  or  cotton  rags  to  fibre  for 
making  paper : 

A.  Cotton  and  Linen  Rags 

These,  after  having  been  selected  and  assorted,  are  cut 
up  rather  finely  ;  now  ready  for  the  boiling  or  leaching 
process. 

B,  Rags  after  Boiling 

These  rags  have  been  treated  with  a  solution  of  cal- 
cium hydrate  in  closed  vessels  under  a  pressure  of  about 
forty  pounds  of  steam  to  the  square  inch.  This  process 
has  dissolved  out  any  oily  matter,  and  renders  the  stock 
more  easily  washed  and  bleached. 

C.  Rag  Stock 

This  shows  rag  stock  after  boiling  and  washing  free 
from  dirt.  This  is  now  ready  for  bleaching. 

88 


PRINTING    AS   AN    ART  [Dept.  E,  Nos.  31-33 

D.  Rag  Stock  after  Washing  and  Bleaching 

During  the  process  of  washing,  the  rags  are  triturated 
and  the  fibres  separated  by  means  of  a  grinding  process. 
This  is  frequently  called  "  half-stuff." 

E,  All  Rag  Fibres 
Taken  from  the  beater. 

No.  32.  Samples  showing  different  stages  in  the 
reduction  of  wood  to  fibre  for  making  paper 
(poplar  by  soda  process): 

A,  Poplar  Wood  after  Chipping 

It  is  necessary  to  reduce  the  log  to  small  chips  like 
this  before  the  disintegrating  process  is  begun. 

B.  Poplar  Wood  Fibre  after  '-''Cooking " 

The  chips  are  boiled  in  a  closed  vessel  with  a  solution 
of  strong  caustic  soda  and  under  no  pounds  steam 
pressure.  The  result  is  like  this. 

C  Poplar  Fibre  after  Washing  and  before  Bleaching 

The  shade  of  this  material  is  lighter  than  the  newly 
cooked  fibre,  because  the  soluble  material  has  been 
washed  out.  It  is  now  ready  for  bleaching. 

X).  Poplar  Fibre  after  Bleaching 
This  is  now  ready  for  the  beating  engines. 

E.  All  Wood  Fibres 
Taken  from  the  beater. 

No.  33.  Materials  used  in  paper-making. 

A,  Rosin  Size 

Made  by  boiling  rosin  in  solution  with  soda.  This  is 
applied  to  the  stock  at  the  beater  in  order  to  make  the 
paper  less  absorbent. 

89 


Dkpt.  E,  No.  33]  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF 

B,  Casein 

A  material  prepared  from  skim  milk  and  used  as  a 
substitute  for  glue  in  connection  with  clay  for  the 
coating  of  paper. 

C.  China  Clay  or  Kaoline 

Carefully  prepared  and  washed  to  free  it  from  grit, 
iron,  etc.,  is  used  in  connection  with  casein  or  glue  for 
coating  papers,  also  as  a  "  filler  "  in  the  body  of  some 
paper  as  an  aid  to  color  finish  and  softness. 

Z).  A  Mixture  of  Rag,  Spruce^  and  Poplar  Fibre  after 
being  Mixed  in  the  Beating  Engine  and  Partially 
Ground  or  Beaten 
At  this  stage  of  the  process  the  coloring,  sizing,  etc., 

are  added. 

E,  Fibres  Prepared  for  the  Paper-making  Machine 

This  exhibit  shows  the  fibres  thoroughly  reduced  and 
in  exactly  the  consistency  in  which  they  flow  on  to  the 
wire  cloth  of  the  paper  machine. 

F.  Bleached  Sulphite  Fibre 

This  is  spruce  wood  fibre  treated  like  the  poplar  fibre 
except  that  a  solution  of  sulphureous  acid  liquor  is  used 
instead  of  caustic  soda.  The  bleaching  process  is  carried 
out  in  large  tubs  or  tanks,  the  fibres  being  in  suspen- 
sion in  a  large  quantity  of  water.  A  solution  of  chloride 
of  lime  is  added,  which  bleaches  the  stock  to  the  proper 
color. 

G.  Laid-Wire  Cloth 

Used  for  moulds  for  making  paper  by  hand  and  for 
covering  dandy  rolls  for  paper  machines. 

H.  Wove-Wire  Cloth 

Used  for  moulds  for  making  paper  by  hand  and  for 
covering  dandy  rolls  for  paper  machines. 

90 


PRINTING    AS     AN     ART  [Dept.  E,  No.  33 

Materials  for  Paper-making 

The  principal  fibrous  materials  used  to-day  in  the 
manufacture  of  paper  for  printing  purposes  are  linen 
and  cotton  rags  and  wood  pulp  (generally  poplar  or 
spruce).  Until  about  1870  rags  were  used  almost 
entirely,  but  at  that  time  wood  fibres  were  introduced 
and  by  their  use  manufacturers  were  able  to  meet  the 
demand  for  good  but  cheaper  paper,  and  this  material 
has  been  and  is  of  great  commercial  value  (Dept.  E, 
No.  13). 

Mould  for  Making  Paper  by  Hand 

Moulds  are  made  of  laid  or  woven  wire  of  the  same 
size  as  the  sheet  of  paper  which  is  to  be  made,  sup- 
ported by  a  wooden  frame  underneath.  Above  this 
wire  is  placed  a  very  shallow  and  narrow  frame  known 
as  the  "  deckle  "  which  in  size  and  shape  corresponds 
exactly  with  the  mould.  The  sheet  is  formed  by  dipping 
the  mould  into  the  mass  of  pulp  and  filling  it  evenly 
with  the  top  of  the  deckle,  the  thickness  of  the  paper 
being  determined  by  the  skill  of  the  workman.  The 
water  drains  through  the  wire  cloth  as  the  mould  is 
gently  shaken  by  the  operator.  The  deckle  is  then  re- 
moved and  the  sheet  of  paper  formed  is  taken  off  on  a 
felt  and  afterwards  dried,  pressed,  and  finished  according 
to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended. 

Laid  Paper 

The  term  "  laid  paper  "  was  derived  from  the  style  of 
wire  upon  which  the  sheet  is  formed  in  making  paper 
by  hand,  and  used  in  making  "  dandy  rolls  "  for  paper 
machines.  The  wires  are  laid  very  close  together  and 
joined  and  held  in  position  by  cross  wires  at  intervals 
varying  from  one-half  to  one  inch,  as  desired  (Dept.  E, 
No.  16). 

91 


Dipt.  E,  No.  33l  THE    DEVELOPMENT     OF 

Wove  Paper 

The  term  "wove  paper"  was  derived  from  a  wire, 
woven  like  cloth  (first  made  about  1750),  upon  which 
the  sheet  is  formed  in  making  paper  by  hand  and 
used  in  making  "  dandy  rolls "  for  paper  machines 
(Dept.  E,  No.  17).  All  previous  paper  had  been  made 
on  laid  wire. 

Super  calendered  Paper 

SuPERCALENDERED  paper  is  made  by  passing  a  con- 
tinuous web  of  paper  through  a  stack  of  heated  steel 
rolls  called  "super  calenders"  (name  derived  from 
"  calendra,"  a  corruption  of  "  cylindrus,"  a  roller  or 
cylinder),  driven  in  perfect  contact  under  pressure  and 
at  a  speed  varying  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred 
feet  per  minute.  This  process  gives  the  paper  a  smooth 
and  polished  surface  which  is  principally  used  for  the 
printing  of  woodcuts,  line  plates,  and  other  similar 
processes  of  illustration  in  connection  with  letterpress 
(Dept.  E,  No.  19).  This  method  of  giving  paper  a 
smooth  surface  was  invented  about  1830. 

Coated  or  Enamelled  Book 

Coated  paper  is  made  by  applying  to  the  surface  of 
paper  a  coating  generally  composed  of  a  mixture  of  clay 
and  glue  or  casein,  which  fills  the  uneven  surface  of  the 
paper  and  makes  possible,  by  calendering,  a  glossy, 
even  surface  (Dept.  E,  No.  22).  First  introduced  in 
the  early  8o's  for  book  purposes  to  meet  the  demands 
of  half-tone  printing,  the  plates  for  which  are  very 
shallow,  requiring  a  paper  with  a  perfectly  smooth  and 
uniform  finish. 

Cameo  Plate  Coated  Book 

Cameo  plate  paper  is  surface  coated  and  is  receptive 
to  the  shallow  plates   used  in  half-tone  printing.    It 

92 


PRINTING     AS     AN     ART  [Dept.  E,  No.  33 

possesses,  however,  a  surface  devoid  of  shine  in  contrast 
to  the  regular  enamelled  book.  (Dept.  E,  No.  21.) 

Deckle  Edges 

Deckle  edges  are  the  rough  edges  seen  in  some  sheets 
of  paper.  They  are  made  by  contact  with  the  "deckle 
frame"  in  making  paper  by  hand  and  on  the  paper 
machine  by  contact  with  the  deckle  strap,  which  con- 
trols the  width  of  the  web  being  made  on  the  wire. 
In  high-grade  machine-made  paper  this  deckle  edge  is 
often  left  on  to  imitate  the  hand-made,  but  is  usually 
trimmed  off,  so  as  to  leave  the  edges  smooth. 

Water  Mark 

A  WATER  mark  is  a  design,  word,  or  letters  woven  into 
the  laid  or  wove  wire  cloth  which  leaves  its  imprint  in 
the  paper.  It  is  best  seen  by  looking  through  the 
sheet.  First  known  use  about  the  year  1330. 

Dandy  Rolls 

Dandy  rolls  are  hollow  cylinders  covered'Vith  wire 
cloth,  either  laid  or  wove,  under  which  the  paper  passes 
before  leaving  the  wire  on  the  paper  machine.  All 
water  marks,  patterns,  and  designs  which  it  is  desired 
to  have  appear  in  the  paper  are  woven  into  the  cover- 
ing of  the  dandy  roll  and  impressed  upon  the  soft  sheet 
and  are  permanently  fixed  in  the  fibres. 

Clay 

China  clay,  or  kaolin,  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper  as  a  "  filler  "  in  the  body  stock  to  help  in  color 
and  finish,  or  as  a  coating  in  connection  with  glue  or 
casein  applied  to  the  surface,  as  in  coated  or  enamelled 
book  paper. 

Sizing 

Without  sizing  all  papers  would  be  more  or  less 
absorbent  like  blotting  paper.   "  Size,"  which  is  made 

93 


Dipt.  E,  No.  33]         THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF    PRINTING 

by  dissolving  rosin  in  water  containing  soda,  is  generally- 
used  for  printing  papers,  and  is  applied  to  the  stock  at 
the  beaters  in  quantities  as  required. 

Finishing 

All  paper  is  made  on  the  basis  of  a  given  thickness 
or  weight  per  ream  and  comes  off  the  paper  machine  in 
a  compact  roll.  Antique,  ordinary  machine  finish,  and 
English  finished  surfaces  are  obtained  on  the  paper- 
making  machine.  Supercalendered  and  coated  surfaces 
are  given  to  paper  by  separate  processes.  If  required 
in  roll  form  for  rotary  presses  the  paper  is  generally 
rewound  when  imperfections  are  cut  out.  If  required  in 
sheets,  the  rolls  are  cut  to  the  proper  size  and  the  paper 
is  then  sorted,  counted,  and  packed  by  hand  in  either 
cases  or  bundles.  Roll  paper  is  sold  at  the  actual  weight 
of  the  roll  at  per  pound  rate.  Sheet  paper  is  usually 
sold  at  the  weight  per  ream.  A  ream  generally  consists 
of  either  480  or  500  sheets. 


94 


m^r^. 


